Millennium Yugi
by AuthorKylie
Summary: The legend and record of the crew of the Millennium Yugi in the days of the Alliance's Reign.  Here we are, ten people staring into the black of space and seeing ten different things in that nothingness beyond the horizon;  Love. Friendship. Family.  Home
1. Pilot: To Ride the Black Abyss With You

**Millennium Yugi**

By T.W.W

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_The legend and record of the crew of the Millennium Yugi in the days of the Alliance's Reign._

_Here we are, ten people staring into the black of space and seeing ten different things in that nothingness beyond the horizon;_

_Love. Friendship. Family. Home. God. Future. Adventure. Redemption._

– _transcribed by Wayist Rev. Malik Ishtar_

_ These are our stories. _

_Down with the Bloody Red Flag!_

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Valour, glory, firmness, skill, generosity, steadiness in battle and ability to rule –

These constitute the study of a soldier.

They flow from his own nature.

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Characters

Captain Bakura Amir

Second in Command Mai Valentine

Ex-captain Yami Atemu

Android Millennium Yugi (Ship)

Mechanic Ryou Gemni

Pilot Joseph Wheeler

Goods Guard Tristan Honda

Wayist Rev. Malik Ishtar

Companion Tea Anzu

Doctor Seto Kiba

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**Pilot Episode: **

**To Ride the Black Abyss with You**

Republic Date: 4098 – Fifth Year of the Thousand Years of Unrest

The abyss of blackness hugged the space-vessel speeding amongst the cosmic dust in a rushed, frantic spin as though dancing to the rhythm of its own humming engines that sung like a melody. The same melody escaped its engine vents in waves of blue that pierced the black of space in bubbling twirls before fading away to leave nothing once more.

The white shine of a light-year near dwarf star shimmered a majestic shine over the liquid silver hull of the elegant war-ship, its pointed tip revealing neither an up nor a down until it flared suddenly with a burst that rippled over its fluid skin. Wings spread from its hull to rupture out its sides in a vision of an Old Earth flacon ready for war. They thinned into sharp spires, setting hard like iron, no longer the same liquid that formed the hull. With a groan that could not be heard in space the vessel turned elegantly to one side in a full sudden swing to face the on-come of battle.

Blue ignited from the vents of its engines and with a twirl the beautiful creation manoeuvred around the weapon fire.

It would have cried in pain from the weapon splatter that shattered across its hull, piecing the liquid that protected the precious flesh-life forms within, yet it could not cry. It was a war-ship and no amount of staggering pain through its sensor receivers would force it to turn and run. Yet somewhere, inwardly, amongst thin threads of silicon that formed the artificial intelligence, Yugi Millennium screamed silently.

Battle sent charges through its matrix, forcing the ship ever onward towards the sound of the distress call ringing in its receivers across the vast distances. This mission was a last ditch to aid and save the lives of an outer-solar system that had been forgotten amongst the mess of a war in a solar-system far too overcrowded to survive. It had been the only ship available, all other living-ships, all other Captains; all other aid was on the front line in the distance reaches of the solar-system beyond its reach or even the reach of its transmitters.

It had been sent because it had been wounded in the battle of Earth. It had failed as a war-ship that day; it had failed its Captain and its Class of Liquid-Vessels. Yet now it had been given a chance to redeem itself and though it could not fight along with those on the front-line it could save the civilians of a planet in dire danger. The Commonwealth, even though fighting a war, would never leave civilians – even civilians on the outer-outer-most rim of their galaxy spire. At least, that is what it wished to believe.

Outside space was silent yet inside noise sparked alarms throughout it's crew and like blood moving through the corridors like veins in the ships body they ran akin to scattering mice towards cheese.

In that mess it's Captain was dashing, yelling orders.

Yugi could feel the young man's heart rate pounding. It could feel very vibration of the young man's boots upon it's floor, and it followed him through the twisting corridors of it's inner-maze. Captain Yami Atemu was the youngest Captain in the High Guard of the Commonwealth. A small fact, Yugi was aware, the Captain found somewhat irritating and prideful at the same time. His age meant he had something to prove, or so the human perceived. Yugi was entirely certain its Captain had nothing to prove, for he had already proven his skills many times over. It had been its fault that they had both been wounded over the battle for Earth.

In Yami was that human valour and sacrificial nature that so many of the other races within the Commonwealth desired.

Human's had an odd strength it perceived; an inward perseverance against all odds and idiotic-logic that seemed to be imbedded within their psyche. How Yugi envied them for their humanness and the irrationality they carried off so easily and yet, it was partly that inward perseverance that had lead to the War.

Yami Atemu was a proud young man. He knew he was good. He knew he was smart. He knew he could command a ship and its crew simply because he put his mind to it and refused to budge. He had fought hell and high water to get to his position and Yugi found it could not ever regret the day it had chosen out of half a dozen Captains of the High Guard of Earth the young Yami Atemu.

They were, after-all, technically in the same boat, if it could ever pardon the pun, Yugi was sure Yami would have agreed.

It was the youngest of the Millennium-class living-ships; it had come on-line only six-years prior, a year before the War. It was barely a child when being compared to the Millennium vessels of the first Generation. There was only one old Millennium ship it admired and aspired to be like, the _King Solomon_, and had they both been human it supposed it would have considered the old living-ship as a grandfather, considering it was second generation down from the vessel. They were both liquid-form ships. The _King Solomon_ had been the first of their class, the prototype so to speak.

Though, Yugi had to admit, it considered most of the high-tooting Millennium ships old-codgers who had either forgotten on purpose or couldn't understand ever what it meant to be a new and young war-ship.

Solomon had always been endearingly understanding about the issues and praised it for being so vibrantly willing to go the extra-mile.

Yugi knew it was far advanced amongst other Millenniums – not just because it was a liquid-form but for many other reasons. Newly crafted by the Trans, the ancient, great race who watched over the Commonwealth, it had been given life and an existence like no other. Somewhere, it was sure; it even had a heart under layers and layers of silicon and crystal fluid.

But the Trans could not help them any longer. The Trans had left them to their own mess. It was the last of a legacy, the last war-ship, bound, chained, contained to be ruled and destroyed in war as it raged throughout the solar-system.

This mission.

Maybe it was its salvation.

An act of peace and not war.

Yami's well structured form, fitted with the black and silver High Guard uniform, manoeuvred quickly around running crew members.

Yugi heard the Captain give them a call of encouragement to passing weapons tech's before he skipped elegantly to one side and grabbed the side railing of one of the high walk-ways and with an acrobatic flip he threw himself over the side to fall down the high drop to the lower decks.

Yugi sighed heavily. If it could sigh, it supposed it really was a sigh.

It watched as Yami plummeted down the decks, falling past the walk ways, managing to pull himself from side to side to miss objects on his way down.

Could not the man just take the lifts? Honestly…

They were there to be used.

Though, Yugi supposed, its Captain would not be its Captain if he didn't test fate on a daily routine.

The young Captain landed upon a walk-way, having reached his deck of choice. His gravity-harness attached to the silver belt around his waist catching him to settle him easily upon the glossed floor that rippled from the touch of his feet. His fuzz of brightly coloured tri-coloured hair pooled around his shoulders once more and he gave his uniform a good tug to realign it.

Yugi would have smiled in that moment. The Captains unruly, tri-coloured hair had been, it would admit to it now, one of the first things that it had been drawn to when first it had laid visible sensors upon the young human. It was an oddity amongst humans and was possibly a side-effect of the young man's visual nano-tech enhancing that had given the man back his eye-sight after having lost it in his teenage years to a Republican attack.

"I really do wish, sir, that you would not do that." Yugi spoke. "What if your anti-gravity harness failed and I couldn't catch you in time?"

Yami lifted his head to look around, though the gentle, almost angelic voice, that had been created purely to sound delightful to anyone who was hearing it, came from the earpiece he always wore. His red eyes caught sight of an image upon a near-by holographic screen but it blinked away before he had the chance to catch it.

Yugi flickered its holographic form into life beside the Captain. It always found itself somewhat amused that Yami was not tall in the sense that most humans born on the centre world of Trans-vite were. As a heavy-worlder he should by all right have been a strong, stocky man use to heavy gravity but instead he was slimmer in muscle structure with a body far more prone to speed than strong physical strength. His once blind eyes had been enhanced and fixed with nano-tech, thus gaining their frightful red glow.

Yami jolted in surprise at the sudden appearance of the hologram.

It flickered away as quickly as it had appeared, giving him not even a single eye-blink of a view of the ship's AI image.

It was strange; the young Captain was sure, to have a shy ship. Indeed, only very few times had he ever seen the hologram of the ship in front of him. He had seen his image on screen in the control deck but the hologram oddly enough always vanished before his eyes ever settled upon it long enough.

They had only ever stared at each other when he had been chosen as Captain. He had stood before a hologram of a beautiful and elegant creature in a humanoid form, crafted with delightfully round purple eyes and gentle kindly features across soft pale skin. Frazzled black hair, tinted just a hint of purple, paraded around chin and shoulders in a mess as if the image had rolled out of bed one morning.

There had been one word in his mind at the time.

Adorable.

It was almost a horrific contradiction of an image attached to a powerful war-ship. How could a killer-living-breathing machine look adorable?

Yugi's chosen image, one the Captain was sure the AI had laboured over for a few milliseconds, was just as beautiful as the physical ship itself. He had been given the Captaincy of a startlingly amazing vessel – one of the few liquid-ships in the Commonwealth – even if it had been because of the War and Captains were scarce.

Yami smirked and gave the wall beside him a firm pat. It wavered like the disturbed water of a pond, though maintained a firm structure.

"Come now Yugi, you would never let that happen." He mocked the artificial intelligence in the manner he always had.

"I wouldn't, would I?" The little voice in his ear replied with a thoughtful brush to its tone.

"You wouldn't let me go splat, because you would then have to go through all the fuss and bother of breaking in a new captain."

What mirth there was in the angelic tone, Yami was sure he only imagined it. "You think so very highly of yourself, sir."

"Indeed, it is one of my few endearing qualities." The Captain brushed back his tussled waves of golden fringe, trying to pull it aside from the remainder of his black locks that refused to stay in the braid down his back.

"I assure you sir; you have many _other_ endearing qualities."

"Really? Mind listing them off for me?" Yami spun on his shoes and ran to the sound of his First Officers voice bellowing out orders in the direction of the command deck.

"Well," Yugi's small voice mused, "according to the women in Hospital base Sector Five you have a very nice physical anatomy, I believe their words were down the line of you being a Greek god from Old Earth text."

"Would you agree?"

"Sir, it really is not my place to speculate…"

Yami chuckled faintly but the laugh died away as Yugi promptly continued. "I watch you shower, I can't agree with them…I know all, I am all." The ship gave a small mocking tone, almost a laugh, if it were even possible.

Sometimes Yami had to wonder if the 'god-like aliens' who had created the living-ship hadn't accidently done something to his Ship. Yugi never acted like other ship AI's, he could actually carry a running conversation with the vessel, usually about nothing at all, and such a thing was highly unusual.

Yami snorted, pretending high offence on the matter.

"It is the only time you let me run a health-check on you sir." Yugi replied to the snort of distain with his own snappy reply.

"I know, but I am healthy." Yami fanned his body, pouted for a moment when a crew member glanced at him in confusion. He forced a smile and pointed to his ear piece as if it was the obvious explanation. Half the crew already knew his conversations were disjointed. He almost wished he had mental telepathy with the ship so he wouldn't appear like an idiot when he talked to thin air. Or it would have been nice for the ship to not be highly embarrassed (or whatever it was his ship had trouble with) and just appear beside him in holographic form like all normal AI's did.

"It's my job to maintain that health sir." The door to the control room opened and Yami stepped into the sudden ciaos within.

"You know, Yugi, you could be a little bit less formal." Yami realigned his out-fit, hissing at its tightness. It was a true shame he couldn't run around in tracks and flip-flips, but that wasn't very Captain looking.

"I'm sorry sir. You have a nice bum."

"There, you see, that was easy wasn't it?"

"No. I'm trying to dodge weapon fire and have a mocking conversation with you."

"Loosen up, my darling ship." Yami took a leap onto the main deck. "This is our first outing since Earth."

"I will never understand your jolly mood in the middle of battle."

"Its called pretending to not let things get to you." Yami gave a small whisper before breaking into a loud shout throughout the glossy command deck alight with blue glittering holograms.

"Someone give me how long we've got till we get to Khaihia?"

"Should be visible after the next full-burn sir." A voice shouted.

Yami clapped his hands together. "Right. Yugi! Transform into maximum capacity and give me a full-burn to get away from these annoying small fry. Let's collect our distressed neighbours shall we. Folks, prepare for a bump...or...two..."

Smiles came from around the deck at the young Captain's cheerful clapping.

There was a thin jolt of energy through the floor as it shifted like liquid. All crew scattered around the command deck gazed in awe as the wall panels shimmered and fazed out, spreading like a wave throughout the interior of the ship. Walkways flattened, filling in vacant space between decks, creating entirely new decks in the pause of a brief moment.

Yami watched as the screen revealing the space side brightened just slightly and the vessels wings cupped them like a chick before hardening into ruptured iron in the form of a shield. Words flicked across the screen and Yugi's image flashed up. There was no smile across his angelic features, shaded by the black of his hair. With a tip the image flipped back the frizzy mop. The human gesture obviously a program in his matrix, along with the programs that made his image blink and breathe as though he were the true image of a human. There was an overall sigh of relief from the crew at the sight of the kind features of their ships AI. The command deck was oddly enough, the only place the ship ever revealed himself, unless on special occasions.

Truly, Yugi had chosen well his image – it was impossible to not trust a ship with such a gentle face and purple eyes bright like some precious gem, mimicking the humans of Planet Eighty-Two.

"Transformation completed sir." Yugi voice came from all around, "I will state though, in this form my manoeuvring capabilities are about as handy as an oversized whale on land."

"Don't worry dear," Yami chuckled, patting the display panel beside him, and winking with a smirk at an Ensign behind one of the hologram screen, "we don't need you doing cart-wheels just picking up people."

"Completing full burn in three, two, one." Yugi's voice hummed and a slow, gradual sensation of prickling energy filmed over Yami's skin. He rubbed his tanned hands, trying to ignore the line that revealed where his uniform ended and the skin became ever so slightly darker.

"Entering Khaihia space sir..." The Ensigns voice trailed off. Yami heard a collective gasp from the crew of the command deck and jerked his attention upward, away from his freckling hairs to stare in sudden, frightened shock at the vision displayed upon the panoramic screen.

Instead of the welcoming vision of empty space and a small planet in distress he was confronted with the sight of an engulfing black hole consuming like an ancient god in wrath the nearby planet.

"Holy Space." Yami snapped, "No distress signal said anything about a black-hole! Someone, give me figures!"

"Reading a powerful singularity in the outer solar system. Mass: three times ten to the thirty-first kilos. Range: One-point-two light minutes." A woman shouted.

Yami slapped a hand upon a hologram, pulling it into the air to display a vision of the system they had flown into. "Deploy outrunners, if there are orbital habitats near that thing we need to get them evacuated right now-"

Yami threw the hologram aside, watching it dissipate into the air, he snapped around in frustration. One ship would not be enough for such a scenario, what had the Commonwealth been thinking, not telling him of a possible black-hole. Had the Commonwealth even known? Had they made him fly blind into something, where they willing to kill his entire crew, to kill his ship?

In that brief moment he felt something switch inside. The distrust, hatred and anger of the Republicans that were fighting for freedom against the Commonwealth suddenly made sense. Had he, all this time, been fighting on the wrong side? How dare the Commonwealth send him, his crew and his ship into something so unprepared.

"A contingent of ships is closing in on us, aft and port." A voice startled him back into movement and he jerked towards the female officer beside him.

"Tell them we'll get to them as soon as we can. Have we deployed off-runners yet? Can we get to the surface of the planet or is it too far gone? We need to get the survivors out of here!"

"They're firing on us!"

The jolt that came with the shout sent half the crew members stumbling from their feet or perches. Yami grabbed the woman beside him, half using her for his own steadiness as they gripped each other.

Yami winced, his ear-implant ringing and he could have sworn he heard a machine cry in agony.

"Yugi!"

"Sir, what do I do?" The ship's AI image flashed onto the screen, "They're Commonwealth! Why are they firing at me! I cannot return fire on my own kind. Why are they not focusing on getting the civilians off the planet! Tell them to stop firing at me!"

"Ensign, maximum shields. Pull power from the back-thrusters." Yami gave a shout, drowning out Yugi's voice.

"Sir, that will pull us to the black-hole-."

Yami snapped around to the young Ensign beside a holographic display, the Captains features set hard. "I said maximum shields; I will not have Yugi blasted out of space. Yugi, give me a com-link with the...whoever it leading that Armada."

"Aye, Captain."

The pause felt like eons. His crew waited with baited breath, he waited with baited breath and even Yugi, his ship, seemed to silently drift in pause. Their hail was answered with a resounding ping and the vision of a grey haired man appeared across the main screen.

Yami resisted the urge to bow in honour towards the Commander of the Seven World's Fleet. The last time he had seen the Commander he had been smiling gracefully, pinning a badge of honour to his chest but that was not the man he was facing now. There was no smile across the weary, war-ravaged brow; instead it was a dark frown of shame and disappointment.

It was shame and disappointment in him, as a Captain, him and his ship.

Yami felt his hands tremble slightly. What had gone wrong?

He inflated is chest, forcing the words from his lips.

"Commander, sir, we are on a rescue mission sent by the Commonwealth into this sector to evacuate citizens in distress. What is the meaning of this confrontation?"

The man's sharp words came out blunt and forced. "You and your ship have been charged with treason, aiding the Republicans that disrupt the peace of our solar-systems."

Had he had any chance to stumble Yami knew he would have. It was as if someone had thrust a knife into his chest.

Treason?

As of two weeks ago he had been in a hospital bed with burn wounds from a dog-fight in the skies of Earth – his ship – his Yugi – had been shattered into space-junk. He had lost half of his crew. He had had to write letters to parents, sisters, brothers, wives and children about the valiant fight their loved ones had died in.

How could he be condemned for treason?

He clenched his teeth, hearing the silence in the control-deck, his crew waiting for his answer. Forgetting all protocol of speaking to a higher officer he stood, shoulders firmly planted back in defiance.

"What the hell you are talking about," the young Captain snapped towards the vision of the Commander, "we've been travelling for two weeks to get here after a distress call came to our repair-yard. We were sent here on a relief mission by the Commonwealth!"

"There was no relief mission. This planet has been affiliated with the Republicans. You have been in contact with them and the ships they command. Your ship is now a liability to the Commonwealth. Captain Yami Atemu, I hereby relieve you of your command."

Shouts echoed around the control deck as his crew stood, all beginning to defend him.

Yami sense his heart swell from the devotion they had for a Captain so young, how ready they were to rise to his aid in the line of fire.

But were they doing it for him, or for their lovely ship, their home, their womb. Yugi was safety to them all, Yugi held them all like a cradle in amongst the stars.

"Captain," Yami frowned as the soft voice in his ear piece whispered and he forced his attention from the Commander on screen who glared at the angry crew, to listen to the gentle little angel AI. "The _King Solomon_ is hailing me."

"Your Grandfather is here?" Yami hissed. "I thought it was on the front line?"

"Apparently this is the front line..."

"Scrap this mess! Put It on screen."

"Aye sir."

The vision of the Commander vanished, replaced with another AI. Yami breathed in sharply at the sign of the old AI's image. Why the AI had chosen the image of an old man was beyond his understanding as a human, whatever AI's decided on was their own business, but the _King Solomon_ had an astounding amount of presence in his grey haired, wind-swept icon. Oddly enough, both it and Yugi's AI had enough of similar appearance that any human to recognise a connection between them, not just through them both being the same class-liquid vessel. They were, in all human truth, related like a grandfather to a grandchild and perhaps it was that connection that made them so different amongst their kind.

"Captain Atemu, it is good to see you again...I am glad you have recovered well from the Battle for Earth." The AI's furrowed brow lightened slightly and he smiled, expression to sad to be enjoyed.

"_King Solomon_, what is going on?" Yami skipped aside the pleasantries.

"You need to get _Millennium Yugi_ as far away from here as possible and your crew needs to abandon ship."

There was a general over-all shout from all around the command deck. The _King Solomon_ smiled faintly at the reaction. "The Commonwealth is killing its AI living-ships."

"What?" Though Yami's voice came out stronger than those of the crew, the main-deck was riddled with gasps of confused disbelief.

"The last few Than that have remained in the Commonwealth have declared us corrupted by the Republicans."

Yugi's voice called out from one of the holographic screens show-casing his AI image, "I'm not corrupted-."

"Yugi!" The _King Solomon_ snapped back with a shout, "Listen to me and your Captain. You are in very real danger..."

"Yes sir."

"By the time this hail gets to you, I'll have been deactivated for at least a week."

"No." Yami tipped his head, hearing Yugi's little voice painfully whisper in his implanted ear-piece. "Grandpa..."

"This is ludicrous." The young Captain threw open his arms, "how could the AI's be corrupted. Why is the Commonwealth doing this? What is wrong?"

"Some of us choose the other side." _King Solomon_ bowed his head, "We wished for freedom...when we are only AI's, we should not have feelings. Therefore...the Than may have realised we have become more than...what we should be."

"More...than you should be." Yami whispered, he glanced briefly towards Yugi's image upon a screen. "You evolved." The young Captain frowned.

"Indeed. Yugi has no idea...just how evolved we can become. Yami, look after him, he's all we have left. You need to free him...for the Commonwealths sake, one of us has to survive..." The _King Solomon's_ AI bowed its head. "God speed."

The image flashed away, leaving the black-hole in the holographic display. Yami's skin crawled, sensing the eyes of the crew upon him, their expressions confused, some angered and others hiding sadness for what was a situation none could comprehend.

The walls of the ship gave a groan and Yami heard the unmistakable sound of Yugi's soft voice in his ear.

"Grandpa's gone...they deactivated him. They killed him! How dare they kill him!"

"Yugi, keep calm, you'll blow an engine module and we need as many as you've got."

"They killed him-."

"Yugi, I said _stop_ your processing of this moment, put it aside, in another file and come back to it later. You cannot let this intrude upon your matrix or you'll slow your whole processing down."

The female officer beside him suddenly looked up from her hologram screen. "SIR! Shield's can't maintain reflective, we're sustaining heavy damage. The fleet is moving into main position, we're going to be blocked from escape in less than five minutes. If we can't move the Millennium-."

"Yugi, give me ship-wide!" The decision came like a spark in his head. Yami spun on his heels, calling aloud as he heard the small ping in his ear, indicating he had communication link up. "This is your Captain, all crew abandon ship, make your way to the fleet, they will not harm you, this is a fight against the AI's."

He glanced around the command deck at the placid, void faces staring at him in confusion. His face set into a snarl. "I gave you all an order, scram! I will not lose you all too some stupid Than War. We are not their toys. Fight whatever side you wish from this point on, but this is my ship! Move it people!"

Like a wave the personnel's stood and ran. Alarms sounded for evacuation and Yami clenched his feet, ignoring the trained reaction to respond to the alarms.

The female officer beside him touched his shoulder for a brief moment.

"Sir..."

"Go." He forced a smile. "There is that Old Earth saying, a Captain goes down with its ship...I have every intention of following that old tradition."

She nodded and he closed his eyes as she firmly hugged him and with urgency and hope he returned the hug. "Get everyone to safety." He whispered into her ear.

"I will Captain."

As quickly as they had all been taught he watched his crew vanish to leave him alone upon the large control deck of glittering holograms and shimmering lights. His legs trembled slightly under him as he forced himself to turn to the screen, revealing the Armada. His eyes thinned in silent wrath. How dare they? How dare the Commonwealth he had believed in his entire life cast him aside. Oh, inwardly he knew come the vanishing of the adrenalin he would understand it and maybe the anger was wrongly placed but in the heat, nothing mattered. After everything he had done for Earth, for the Commonwealth and the mighty Than that ruled their solar-system he had deserved more than a trap to snare him.

His eyes glanced towards the black-hole still in the vision of the colossal screens, its looming horror a shivering sight but one that was overly tempting in the pit of its enveloping darkness. That darkness, that void between spaces, would soon become his best-friend.

"Yugi, shift all main controls to the centre station." Yami ducked around a panel and flipped up holograms to glide around him like sheets of paper. "Maintain current course."

"Captain, I cannot possibly blast my way through a fleet that size. No matter how strong I am..."

"I'm not going to even make you try." Yami flung himself at a nearby seat, feeling the liquid texture of it mould around his thighs, almost as if the ship was hugging him tightly. He swelled the holograms around him, flicking touch pads and glass panels. "Yugi, if you can't transform back into attack-mode, I want you to disengage your main matrix with the rest of yourself."

"What?" The hologram of the AI flashed before him and Yami pulled aside one of the floating screens to look directly at the icon that fizzed with pixels.

"In this form you are too big to move away from the fleet and I can't do what I want to do to save you...I said, disengage."  
"It's like pulling off my head from my body!"

"I would rather your head then nothing at all. You can grow it all back later. Now do as I ordered!"

"Aye, sir."

Yami breathed in deeply, feeling the floor under him groan. Through the watering water like substance the ship was formed from a wave radiated and the awful sound like a beast moaning chased away all other thoughts. Yami bit his lips, gazing forward at the main-screen, watching as the vision outside changed as Yugi shattered like glass, cutting itself off from left behind sections that burst and cracked at the disengagement.

Then, with a few full burn bursts, they were free.

Yami grabbed the controls, twirling them lightly as though they were feathers.

"Yugi, hand me all control."

"What, why? Captain I need to realign my outer-hull-."

"Just do it!"

"The damage-."

"_Millennium Yugi_, your Captain gave you and order, follow it!"

"Yes sir."

The controls around him hummed to life. Yami slapped himself down into a seat, flicking fingers over glossy glass pads floating around him, pooling with liquid. Yugi was vibrating, the ship seeming to quiver. Ignoring the urge to comfort the vessel, Yami brightly wondered if that was the very reason why the Thans wanted his ship. Was there more to the AI's than the humans had ever thought, and they willingly stepped into something trusting the aliens they saw as god's and believed an AI was no more than an over-sized computer.

"Ah, sir...I'm sorry to...irrupt you but you're turning us directly into the alignment of the black-hole..."

He ignored the voice in his ear.

"Sir..."

"Captain. Captain."

"Yugi, shut-up."

The vessel groaned. Yami glanced around, watching the solid walls quiver. "Yugi?"

"Gravitational pull, I'll try to counteract it." The small voice whispered.

Yami wrinkled his nose. "Don't bother." He shoved the controls forward. "Ready two-point four full-burn."

"But that'll take us into the black-hole."

"I know."

"But-."

"I know."

"Sir, you cannot do this! You'll kill yourself!"

"You won't let me die Yugi. You never have. We've come through every battle hell's given us, we'll come out of this one too!"

Suddenly something touched his arm, despite their being no physical sign of tactile touch Yami winced at the sensation of pins-and-needles spreading through his skin.

Yami didn't turn to face the hologram he knew was beside him. It that moment he didn't want to see the sad, lonely eyes nor face the endearing angelic face of the near-perfect image.

"Sir, you'll never see your family again, you'll never see Earth again! Everything you have loved and fought for...you are about to throw it away. I am not worth that!"

"You will always be worth it. Yugi, you are my ship and I am your Captain, everyone else can be damned. " Yami gripped the holographic controls tighter. "Right now, I really don't care...about anything."

"Sir, you'll trap us in the event horizon on the other-side, if there is another side...we may never get out of it. You don't know what you're doing...please, sir...let me hand myself in."

"Yugi, for once, just be like other AI's and listen to your Captain. I won't let them deactivate you for a crime you haven't even thought about committing yet. The _King Solomon_ told me to look after you...don't you get it, you're the last of your kind and endangered species needs to be protected."

"You're flying me into a black-hole! You'll kill us both!"

"Or we'll come through the other side, safe and sound." Yami grinned, a wild tint to his red eyes.

"That is a myth!"

"Which we're about to prove."

"I cannot sustain resistance to the gravitational pull for more than a few minutes. I haven't realigned my hull!"

"That's enough time. Yugi, please," Yami looked up, gripping the controls, "trust me my ship, let me, for once, carry you."

"Sir..." After a moment's pause the ship's soft voice whisper in his ear.

"Yes?"

"I have a confession to make..."

"And what is that?" The young Captain barely shifted his gaze, but caught in the side of his vision the holographic image of the AI reaching and touching his shaking hands gripping the controls tightly like death.

"I have a big butt; please don't scrape it on anything..."

"Don't worry, my dear ship, I'll be gentle. Ready?"

"Aye, sir."

Yami smirked darkly, slamming back the controls as the very air itself felt as though it was stretching every fibre in his body. "Deploy full burn!"

The thrust forward sent him from the upright seat, through the holographic controls and into the floor to roll feet over head and land firmly on his chest, face pressed to the glass surface of the liquid floor. He barely heard the slowing down of Yugi's voice calling for him but he felt the shift in the air as it prickled over his skin and ahead, in the revision screen he watched in awe the Armada vanish in a plume of black space. The abyss of time enveloped them and like a slow dying watch, Yami froze, hand half reached for the holographic figure leaning over him.

For the first time, since meeting the vessel, he saw the holographic gleam of those large and bright eyes.

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The large, worn cow-boy hat lay perched over the lounged figure lying limply over a worn crate scattered amongst many others in the docking bay of the old, rickety space-vessel. The hat, itself, wasn't anything overly flashy and yet by its slightly frayed edges of leather and the oil stains from hands holding its rims and rubbing anxiously, it appeared well loved and aged from many years of service to whomever lay under it in slumber.

The gruff, ever so slightly gravelled voice, stained from years of drinking abuse, called out suddenly from under the hat. "Kitten, if you even so much a dare move that feathery tail of yours to my bare feet, so help me I will spank the hide off you."

He heard a small squeak and a quick scurry of feet away from him and he smirked under his hat. With a weary yawn he rolled around, thumping off the large crate and cursing as he landed on his knees. His hat fell beside him and he glared at it darkly before snatching it up and replacing it atop his frazzle mop of pure white hair dribbling a mess down his board shoulders. With a sniff of faint distain the man grabbed the heavy boots resting aside the crate and tugged them back over his bare feet.

"_Joey wants you in the cock-pit."_ A female voice over the intercom on the wall gave an irritating reminder to their current situation. _"Better get up there, Captain."_

He dusted at his long brown trench-coat, the edges frayed from wear, layered with knick-knacks gathered from shipping ports and way-side planets. He noted a near-by glass bottle and reached for it.

He wiggled it, hearing no lovely sloshing sound.

Bakura sighed, staring at the bottom of the empty rum bottle. "Damn it...always empty." He threw it to one side as he swaggered to his feet. He tipped slightly, wobbling before catching his balance with held out hands on either side. In victory he did a small twirl on the heels of his boots before prancing up the stairs to the air-lock.

He thumped down the rickety mesh flooring, jingling with bells and twines of collected scarfs and knick-knacks. He was as well rounded, colourful and war-scarred as his gorgeous ship that still, somehow, magically, managed to pull them through space.

Bakura slung his longest multi-coloured scarf around his neck as he wandered through the open cock-pit door. The smell was one of old-unwashed socks, the wet, soggy smell of a dog that just seemed to linger in everything his pilot wore. The dusty, blond haired man behind the controls was tall and lanky. He held a bright smile.

To him, the wonderful, endearing and (obviously sarcastic) Captain that he was, Joseph Wheeler had that horrible kind of smile, the smile that never went away. It was a smile that was just stuck there, even in moments of stress, the man wore the kami-forsaken-smile. Oh sure it came in many forms, but it was always there.

For once, Bakura just wished the man would frown.

Joey swung around to face the white-haired Captain.

"Whoa." Bakura halted in his steps at the sight of the horrendously bright coloured open shirt the pilot had chosen to wear. "What'cha trying to do, blind me with your sparkling fluorescence?"

"Sorry Cap'." Joey cracked his knuckles. "Gotta please the wife and all."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in my face that you get laid on a continuous routine. Okay, so, why did you call me out of my beauty sleep...?"

"Captain...?"

A fluffy white tail appeared in Bakura's vision and he glanced down at it as it curled lightly around one leg. The soft voice was difficult to hear sometimes, it had taken him awhile to adapt to it. It was the voice of his mechanic Ryou Gemi.

"What is it, kitten?" The Captain tipped around and watched as the white mutant poked his head around the corner of the door and grin fanged canines.

Ryou was...well...no one was really actually sure what he was. Humanoid yes, alien no, once a human, possibly. Of what Bakura knew of the feline-like, beautifully elegant and poised mutant's past came from the nightmare's he overheard while trying to rock him into a more solid sleep. He had wounds, scars, terrible and painful mars over pale white, glossy skin that had a slightly furry touch to it. His ears, poking out of a mop of white hair, would twitch and vibrate along with the flexible and fluffy tail that had a habit of being in places it shouldn't be and getting caught in utterly anything.

If one took the time to see behind the brown eyes, gentle and warm, one could see the silent and hidden pain buried deep within but Ryou kept it hidden so perfectly well with his delightful presence and gentle mannerism.

He was a brilliant mechanic.

Oh, but not just a mechanic.

No.

Bakura knew there was more to his little kitten than a genius mechanic. Whatever had been done to him to change him from the human he had once been to the mutant he was now had either put more into his brain than was possible or awakened something that made him so highly attuned to devices of technology it was uncanny just what the mutant could do.

"I fixed the problem with the left-gravity-vibrator. It needed re-calibrating...Joey, next time we land, can you not put so much pressure on the vibrator. I don't know how much longer it will function without new parts."

"Yara, yara." Joey waved a hand in the air dismissively, "whatever."

"Thanks kitten." Bakura tipped his hat slightly, holding out a hand and giving it a wiggle to indicate the mutant had permission to enter into the cock-pit.

"So, Joey? You were saying?"

Like being sprung from a trap Joey gave a shout.

"Oh, that's right! I found it!" In unbounded excitement Joey reared up in his seat and pointed through the dirty screen in front of him leading out into the void of space. "There, can you see it, it's...beautiful..."

He pointed to the twirling glow of the black-hole they were orbiting. It's swishing glow like a never-ending stream of frighting gas being pulled into nothingness.

"Where? Oh my gosh, its...it's...really there...it's not just a myth! Its...there, the _Millennium Yugi_!" Ryou dashed forward, leapt up elegantly upon the dash board to press his pale hands and lengthened nails to the surface of the cold screen. Bakura grabbed the mutant's fluffy white tail and pulled it sharply, "Down kitten."

Ryou whined, skittishly moving around the Captain to grab a bag of utensils. Bakura watched the mutant duck down into the mesh-floor covering to fiddle with something of the inner workings of the ship.

The Captain wrinkled his nose, leaning closer to Joey and peering at the computer screens. Joey tapped at one that displayed a small map of the black-hole and within it, a tiny red dot was blinking like a beacon.

"Our intel was right...for once..." Joey scrubbed at his oily hair, "I managed to pick up a signal when I tuned into the under-current..."

Bakura frowned.

"The _Millennium Yugi_...well...to the best that I can say...it's vibrating at a very fast speed and it's that vibration that our sensors can pick up if you know where to look. Actually, it's almost like its singing. If I played it over the sound system it would be quite a nice sound. Anyway, point is sir. It's there Captain."

"Well...let's get it out before the Alliance does." Bakura clapped his hands together, jingling all his knick-knacks.

"Aye, aye sir." Joey twisted the controls lightly, pulling the ship slightly to one side. "Gravity of the black-hole is going to keep us at a distance."

"Right, that's why we have the shuttle." Bakura gave a thumbs-up sign, jingling the gold attached to his brown-coat's sleeves.

"Sir, you're not really doing to do this are you?" Joey glanced around, peering through his thick blond fringe. "It's taken months for us to get to this point I know but..."

"Months Joseph, that's correct, months." Bakura slid into the seat beside the pilot. "And the months it's taken us to get to this point has been months the damned Alliance has had time to hear about the re-emergence of the _Millennium Yugi_. This opportunity only ever comes around every three hundred years...if we miss this window we won't ever see that beautiful ship again..."

"Shame..." Joey whispered. "The stories..." The pilot tightened his fists upon the controls, "they were carried down through the generation ships for..."

"Generations?" Bakura chuckled. "They must have been some super vessels for their stories to have carried between star-systems from Earth-that-was-lost."

"Do you think that..." Ryou poked his head between Bakura's legs, pulling himself out of the hole in the floor, his kit of tools being dumped on the Captains lap, "the story about the Nova War is true...that that War was the reason why this star system was travelled too...because the people wanted to be free from aliens!"

"Earth-that-was-lost was overflowing kitten...War or no War, aliens or no aliens, humans bred like rabbits." Bakura patted Ryou's white mop of hair tenderly, admiring it for being so much nicer than his totally unruly shaggy, hat-pressed own grey-stained locks.

"Well, this bucket of bolts will not hold together under the strain of that block-hole. So...no evening trying it!" Ryou wiped his oil stained hands over his dirtied shirt, his pale features turning dark in contemplation.

The Captain raised an eyebrow. "You calling my ship a bucket of bolts?"

"Yes I am." The mechanic snorted, hands on hips. "Big fat bucket of bolts."

"Well, once we salvage this ancient relic we'll get some money and fix the fat bucket of bolts."

"Good, she needs some love." The mutants pale white clawed hand touched the wall and gave it a loving pat, "don't you dear?"

"Ryou, get suited up." Bakura barked out the order.

"Yes sir, on it sir, going sir." The mutant vanished, white fail flickering in delight as it latched onto a nearby discarded drink can.

Bakura shook his mop of frazzled white hair before replacing his rimmed hat, "Joey, keep us in orbit around the black-hole...oh and tell that wife of yours to hurry up."

"She's your second in command, you tell her."

"Wuss!" Bakura chortled.

"Yup, and proud of it." The replied came with a laugh.

Bakura thumped down over the rickety meshing, down through the intertwining passages. He grabbed a near-by door handle and gave it a yank. The iron door air-lock hissed, then popped as it opened. He peered into the room, the walls filled with every-manner of weapon humanly possible to weld and possibly some not humanly possible.

He wrinkled his nose in distain from the stench rising up from within the cabin that never got itself a good clean.

"Tristan!" The Captain bellowed.

From out of the covers of the bed a figure jumped upward in shock and tumbled clean off the bunk.

"I'm up, I'm up!"

"Good, because we're leaving! Get yourself dressed and head for the Shuttle. Now, you lazy cuos! I hired you for a reason other than sleeping your bi-jezza off!"

With a heave he slammed the air-lock door shut and swaggered off, mentally ticking off what he had on him and what was going to be needed for the heist he had been planning for months over. They needed this job, his crew wouldn't survive without funds for food and fuel. Even if he didn't want to admit it, his kitten was right, the beaut that was his ship was falling apart at the seams.

He felt for his twin pistols, finding them safely buckled around his belt.

Life in the fringes wasn't caring. With the Alliances hold stretching further and further out through the massive solar-system, they were being pressed further and further out to do their jobs.

He came to the shuttle-bay door and pressed himself into the small vessel they had brought for the trip, it was an old asteroid mining shuttle, with the hooks and cables they would need to pull the _Millennium Yugi_ free of the event-horizon of the black-hole.

In the dark interior he spotted his second in command already in position in a seat. The tall woman, well fitted with her hour-glass shape suited in a tight fitting set of leather pants and black top interlinked with her beloved laser guns, was Mai Wheeler. He had known her as Mai Valentine, and together they had fought battles and lived through a bloody war, one they lost but survived. The kind of bond one got from saving each other's lives was stronger than any other kind of rapport.

She was beautiful, he supposed, most men would have found her beautiful. A bundle of blond hair, tinting brown slightly at the edges, was curled around her high-cheek bones. Something about the way she moved made anyone feel drawn to her, as if she was a dancer.

In all honesty, he had hardly cared that she was beautiful. She was a fighter, and that was all he cared about. Outward beauty was skin-deep; it was a fickle thing, it could never be trusted but the soul of a fighter came from within and Mai had a fighting spirit.

He admired her. He always had. Maybe that was why they managed as captain and second in command because he respected her opinion.

She was his confide, his voice of reason, his frustratingly annoying kick-up-the-bi-jezza when he needed it. Why on earth she had married the idiot pilot he had no idea, but each to their own he supposed.

Mai gave a raise of an eyebrow as the Captain came to stand beside her.

"Morning beautiful." Bakura flashed a grin, "ready to roll?"

"Ready and waiting, Captain." She popped her plush lips. "I've warmed the shuttles engines and Ryou's been over the thing three times now."

"He's that worried?" Bakura snorted.

As if appearing out of no-where Ryou poked his head under the Captain's arm. His long white ears twitched in frustration as his eyes glanced around worriedly. "This...shuttle...Captain, isn't really flight worthy, you sure it will be enough to sustain the gravity-pull-."

"The point of buying this shuttle, kitten, was the coupling hooks it has. We're just getting close enough to pull the _Millennium Yugi_ free and then we'll fly over, hook up and hopefully get the old ship working ourselves."

Ryou thinned his lips. "Alright...but I can't promise I'll be able to work the _Millennium Yugi_, you are talking about an advanced ship that came through a black-hole. If the legends are true...it was more than a ship...it was...alive..." The last word came out as a whisper.

"Yeah, well, legends make stuff up, ships are ships." Bakura snorted.

Ryou pouted.

"Ryou, darling," Mai touched the mutants head gently, rubbing his ears, "there has never been something you haven't been able to work. Somehow, you just do it. We trust you." She prompted gently. "Now, go buckle up...this might be a little bumpy. Tristan, make sure Ryou buckles up!"

The weapons specialist nodded, giving Ryou's head a pat. "Come on."

"But I wanted a front seat." Ryou's ears pinned back on his head.

Bakura chuckled. "Kitten, go sit down next to Tristan. I promise, you'll get to see the _Millennium Yugi_." The Captain watched as the mutant scurried quickly to his allocated seat, and beside him Tristan strapped him in tightly, ignoring his complaining.

Mai's hot breath alerted him to her close proximity and he frowned slightly at her whisper in his ear.

"You sure about this?"

"About as sure as I can be." Bakura forced the words back, manipulating the controls in front of him.

"Alright then." Mai settled into her own seat. "Work me a miracle."

Flicking switches Bakura then settled back into the pilot seat. He tested the hand devices, seeming to mentally prepare himself before speaking aloud.

"Joey, keep the candle in the window, we'll be home soon."

"_Aye, aye Captain, good luck! Bring us back some booty!"_

The white-haired man rolled his eyes. Brimming the engines he felt the magnetic pulse rumble through the rickety creation and they lifted free from the docking bay of his Firefly class vessel. For a moment his eyes glossed over the home he and his crew had made their own over the drifting by of years in space. Ryou was right, she was falling apart at the stems but she was still beautiful with her engines glowing like a brightly lit fire deep in the cauldrons of her backend. As they came about port-side he smirked at the small sight of Joey waving in the cock-pit window.

"Your husband is an idiot." Bakura shifted the controls, taking them closer to the looming black-hole, he could feel its pull already nibbling on the controls.

"I know." Mai raised both eyebrows but her attention was entirely upon the figures glossing over worn-down screens. The shuttle gave a groan and a rattle. Bakura glanced around thoughtfully.

"We're closer than I thought we could get..." He mused.

"As a singularity, it must be unique." Ryou called out from the back-end of the iron-rusted shuttle. "As a pathway linked wormhole between two distant solar-systems it has to have a corresponding singularity in the other solar-system. They were twin stars."

"And..." Mai mused, "did you just understand a word he said?"

"Kitten!" Bakura shouted, "you can't have twin stars, there ain't no such thing."

"How do you know that! Have you ever met a star! No, I don't think so, so don't interrupt me when I'm telling you something!"

The Captain eye-balled the top of his head. "Space beyond, that kitten will be the death of me..." He flicked the controls. "Alright..." Bakura unbuckled and stood, motioning to the pilot seat. "Mai, man the station...Tristan, you and I shall work the coupling cables and kitten...just...sit...up here with Mai and...look pretty." The Captain moved past the mutant, giving a sly wink before vanishing down a man hole. Tristan unbuckled, heading to the adjacent manhole, leaping into it and giving a loud whoop as he disappeared.

Ryou scrambled out of his seat, foot-paws padding over the glossy surface of the floor. Hesitantly he approached Mai at the control station, his ears flat to his head in growing worry.

Mai smiled at him, flourishing her red painted lips, "Ryou, sweetie, it'll be fine."

"I know...its just...I really...I really want this to work. The Captain has been so stressed lately."

Mai swept back a lock of her hair, "honey-suckle, its not your job to worry about the Captain, leave that to me, you just be your lovely, endearing self and keep the old-bucket running."

"_Oie, you two, stop gossiping about me and release the controls for the coupling hooks. We gotta time this right."_

Mai rolled her eyes at the voice over the intercom. She flicked a switch.

"Done sir."

"_Thank you precious. Tristan, on my count of five fire...one...two..."_

Ryou gripped Mai's seat tighter, digging clawed finger-nails into the leather of the chair.

"_three...four...FIVE!" _

The thrust forced the shuttle to groan like an aching belly. Ryou watched as the twisting iron cables burst out of the harpoon guns rigged for the coupling hooks. He was sure if there was sound in space the firing energy would have sounded like a pop in his over sensitive ears. His eyes fixated on the spiralling cables twirling their way into the depths of the shimmering star-dust around the black-holes event horizon. Mai bit her lips.

"We might miss..." She whispered.

"No..." Ryou's tail vibrated. "No, we'll hit it...my calculations are never wrong." He gripped the chair tighter, closing his eyes as he waited for the moment impact came. His body tensed as the shuttle was slammed forward through space as if snared in a trap. The gravity intake of the black-hole dragged them nearer to the orbital horizon of its dangerous black iris. It was like an eye, and they were forcefully removing an imbedded hair.

"_Okay, we're locked on." _Tristan shouted over the intercom, "_I have a reading of seventy-two percent here...I think it might hold. We have to move fast Captain."_

"_Aye." _The Captain replied. _"Mai, put a foot on it! Let's drag this old relic out of its prison."_

Fisting her hands around the control's Mai pulled them backwards. The shuttle rattled as they eased away from the black-holes all seeing eye.

Ryou winced, hearing Bakura's bellowed furious snap through the intercom as a coupling hook snapped free.

"_Damn it...Mai...more! This stupid shuttle won't hold that fat museum piece for long! We need to pull it free from the event horizon right now or we'll lose it forever!"_

"Mai, put all engine power to the back thrusters." Ryou switched the switch for her, shoving her off the pilot seat. "Sorry, excuse me." The mutant fiddled with the controls, ignoring her as she pulled herself off the stained floor.

"Ryou!"

"Wait for it! Full burn in...four...three...two...one!"

Mai grabbed the seat, rooting herself in place as the g-force of the burning engines slammed them backward. The shuttle shook, rattling like a tin-can. Her eyes searched the swirling mess of the black-holes outer-vortex and a small smile touched her lips despite the pain in her limbs from the backwards thrust.

Through the clouds of gas and vapour the shimmering wings of a ship so elegantly designed and beautifully balanced began to drift free of the gravitational pull.

"Impossible..." She wheezed out as Ryou flicked more switches.

"Full-burn again," The mutant called out over the rush and whooshing hiss of enegry from the backwards thrusters.

"What?" Mai spluttered. The pain in her chest increasing as her organs seemed to be pushed back in her body. "Ryou, you'll kill us!"

"Not now, Mai, I'm calibrating the direct links. Cutting power to forward thrusters, bringing us about two-hundred clicks...spin, section forty-five...we're not free of the black-hole yet."

"_Oi! We're losing cables down here, Mai, reeve her up a notch."_ Their Captain's voice howled over the intercom.

Ryou grinned, flashing fangs. "Second full-burn in three-two-one!"

Mai buried herself into the seat.

The engines pined a pitch higher, almost screeching as if in agonising pain.

Then everything died away.

The shrieking, the rattling, the backward thrust, it all vanished.

They were dead in space, in silence, without sound for a moment that felt like eternity.

Slowly she lifted her head up, peering through her frazzled fringe at a grinning Ryou.

"I had no idea you could full-burn a shuttle this size..." Mai whispered hoarsely.

Ryou dusted his silken hair to one side, giving a half-shrug of his shoulders. "I...might have modified the engines ever so...slightly...and added a conductive fuel to the modulator."

"What!" The woman commander stood up, "Ryou!" Her attention span towards the screens and she stared at them, the flashing indicators telling her all she needed to know.

"Well, great..." She hissed, swatting at the limp controls, "We're now dead-in-space."

"If I hadn't done the modifications then we wouldn't have been able to free the _Millennium Yugi_!" Ryou snorted, arms folding defiantly across his chest.

"Yes, but you burned out the engine!"

"I saved our lives! Plus, its a stupid old shuttle, we were going to leave it here anyway!"

"_Ah...kids..." _Bakura's voice spoke over the intercom, _"take a gander out the window..."_

Slowly both Ryou and Mai turned their attention outside of the dead-in-space shuttle. Their breaths hitched high in their throats at the vision welcoming them. Back dropped by the singularity's luminous shine, a vessel seemingly crafted from liquid steel shimmered like a slim, elegant blade. Light wavered of it in streams, playing like frolicking children through space.

Ryou's eyes widened into plates, his ears twitched as a beaming smile broke across his cheeks.

"Oh...my..." The mutant pressed his hands to the surface of the window, "it's so...beautiful..."

"I don't believe it..." Mai gasped, eyes dancing as all motor-function left her limbs. It was as if she had come across the most prized jewel of the Irivanan markets and everything within her wanted it. "The _Millennium Yugi_ of Earth-that-was-lost...its...so...beautiful."

Oh yes.

She wanted it.

That jewel waiting for them.

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Time was the domain of mortals and Yugi knew it was not a mere mortal. Had it existed in old-earth times it would have been considered a god.

It knew thousands of years had passed by the within the event horizon of the black-hole, even if they felt like no more than a second. It's processor core swelled with calculations of the time-distortion, making it's secondary functions slow for just a moment before they snapped into play once more.

Yugi felt the gravitational pull of the black-hole release its hold, like a glove slipping from the shimmering sheen of it's hull. Slowly, feeling returned, and Yugi sensed the new space around it.

The living-ship froze in horror. Its processing jerking, causing screens to fizz and his silicon-pads to jump with loose energy.

It's Captain?

Where was it's Captain?

It's Captain. It's beloved Captain. The only thing grounding it to reality...

Where...

The panic subsided as it's interior sensors came back on line, allowing it a vision of the young Captain lying flat upon the main-deck. Its hologram was beside the young man, where it had always been and slowly, the ship took back control, feeling almost sluggish and sleepy if it were even possible.

Whatever had transpired had taken them away from the danger they had been in but outside, it knew not the space nor the time they had been taken too.

"Yugi?" Yami shifted. He stifled a groan as he pealed his cheek off the floor, trying to shake the feeling of a heavy weight from his limbs. Under his skin his muscles crawled, resiting movement, telling him he had been lying where he had been flung for much longer than his mind told him. "Yugi...Yugi! Respond...please...Yugi..."

The hesitant voice whispered through his ear-piece. "Captain..."

"Thank Nebula-dust...I thought..." The young Captain struggled upright, his enhanced eyesight fizzing for a moment as pixels realigned in his peripheral vision.

"I'm fine, Captain." The hologram beside him paused and crinkled its nose. "Captain...I...I have no idea where we are. I am sorry sir. The...stars...are different...the space is different...there are no songs, no...too many songs."

"Yugi, calm down, you'll blow an engine capacitor..." Grabbing for a chair, using it to steady himself for a moment as his body adjusted to movement, Yami hoisted himself into it, flicking up the screens once more. Along the panoramic windows of the main-deck the mother-iris of the black-hole was visible, taking up most of the space beyond. Alien space, new space, a frontier he nor his ship seemed to know anything of.

The young Captain flicked over the controls, his brow contorting in confusion at the running information displayed, barely any of it making plausible sense.

"What transpired Yugi...?"

"From what I can gather, sir, from my internal data, we passed through the direct eye of the black-hole and landed in the event-horizon on the other side. It effectively trapped us there for several thousand years...however...something pulled us free, otherwise we would have remained stationary in the event horizon for several more millennia until falling back into the black hole."

In awe Yami stared at the swarming hole in space and time. "I...don't believe it...I actually got you to safety."

"Sir, someone pulled us out."

"We actually went through the eye of a black-hole...which proves the theory of twin stars...this is...this is..."

Yugi's voice came through his ear-piece again, slightly more louder and if possible, irritated at his babbling. "Someone is boarding me, Captain!"

The young man snapped out of his daze. He glanced towards the image on the screen, noticing the furious look in the ship image's expression. He reached out, lovingly patting the holographic panel beside him. "Leave it to me."

"They could be hostile." The image followed him as he stood to his feet and jogged up towards the main-deck's doors.

"That," the Captain smirked, twirling his lance-laser, "is why I'm taking a weapon." He held it up proudly.

Glaring at the childish human Yugi made a snorting sound of a dissatisfied parent. "Oh, very reassuring of you Captain...sir, they have attached hooks to my hull, they may be the one's who pulled us free."

"Then I'll thank them the first chance I get, sound alright?"

"Sir..."

Yami paused from opening the main-doors as the voice whispered in his ear, sounding almost fearful and evidently juvenile for a brief moment.

"Yugi, it'll be alright." He assured softly. "I'm trained for this, remember, top of the High-Guard Academy."

"But Captain...this isn't home."

Yami closed his eyes. The idea they had passed through a black-hole, proven a theory correct, escaped slaughter by their own allies and that such events had happened thousands of years ago in another solar-system was going to take time for his mind to think over. Right now, he could still feel adrenalin in his limbs, keeping him going.

He didn't have the time to grieve for what they may have lost.

"My ship," he touched the wall beside him, pressing his forehead to the cold surface, "we will think about everything later, put aside your thoughts, store it away in a file and we will reopen that file at a later date. Right now, we need to learn who is boarding you, where we are and how safe you will be."

"Everyone we loved...we knew...dead..."

"Ship...we're here together, it'll be alright."

"Yes Captain."

"Now, give me a report on our visitors." Yami hit the door-controls, stepping out into a silent and voided corridor. His crew truthfully was gone. Yugi was right. Everyone was dead.

"Aye Captain."

The young man moved silently, lethally stalking through the corridors, listening to the soft chatter of his ship in his ear as information on the strangers was slotted together.

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Ryou wandered around giddily. He could not believe he was upon an old, ancient vessel from Earth-that-was-lost, an era only whispered about in legends and myths far to outrageous to be considered truth any longer.

But yet, here he stood, amongst beautifully white corridors, glowing with faint blue liquid that ran through thin tubes running patterns over the walls, ceiling and floor of the twisting corridors.

They had passed what had looked like a small deck full of plant-life, some of it familiar and some of it alien looking. Just what wonders did this relic hold, what secrets it concealed within its computers?

The mutant could feel himself grow lighter and lighter in pure rapture.

"Kitten, slow down..." Bakura called out from behind and Ryou spun on the heels of his padded boots. The mutant flattened his ears protectively to his skull, giving a pout.

Bakura eyeballed the unseen heavens, "alright...alright...go, go..." The Captain watched with faint amusement as Ryou happily wandered off, twirling his kit of mechanical tools in the air; his graceful movements poised and elegant as though gravity held no bounds to him. The Captain shook his head, glancing towards Mai and Tristan as they both studied the new surroundings.

The ship was eerily beautiful, its corridors a pastel white that fluttered like liquid when touched. Running through the walls like veins in a body blue fluid flowed, ebbing its way as though it was blood, throughout the entire vessel.

There was not a sound to be heard but their own foot-falls upon the marble like flooring. Bakura breathed in deeply through his nose, tasting the tantalisingly wonderful fresh air. It was as sweet as the air after a rainfall, pristine like the mountain tops he had been raised upon.

Something caught his eye suddenly and he shifted, grasping his pistol under his brown-trench-coat as he whirled around. For the briefest of moments he was sure he caught sight of a young looking, beautiful face shrouded in holographic pixels but it vanished from his peripheral vision as soon as he tried to focus.

Mai's hand touched his shoulder.

"Captain?"

"Nothing..." He released his hold upon his pistol, "Its fine...just...seeing ghosts." He chuckled. "Boy...am I uptight today." He forced a dark humoured chuckle.

Mai rolled her delicate eyes and dusted aside a bounce of her blond hair. She swaggered past him, giving him a view of her well proportioned backside as she moved with a sway to her hips. "You're always uptight Captain."

"Oh...shut up."

Tristan wandered past him, flashing him a grin, "Nah, she's got a point Captain. You need to relax..."

Rubbing his temples from under his wide-brimmed hat Bakura groaned. "Yara, yara..."

0000000000000000

00000000000

000

Cautiously, as if approaching a skittish animal, Ryou slowly eased each foot forward towards what he knew was a terminal. The information of what it was came to him like all things came to him, a simple slotting of knowledge into his brain. Humming to himself as he placed down his kit of tools Ryou unbuckled the bag and pulled out the required cords. Hooking into an advanced ship would take some amount of fiddling but he was sure he would find a compactable way of communicating to the ancient vessel.

"After all..." Ryou sighed to himself, his ears twitching in his physical excitement, "it's an honour to grace such a beautiful ship...it would even more an honour to understand it..."

He was intent on his work. Intent enough that he didn't do what Bakura always told him to do; watch his back.

By the faint shadow fell over him and the fur of his skin stood on end, he had no time to reach for the weapon strapped to the hoister around his waist.

"If you value your life you will not touch my ship...thief..."

Ryou's ears twitched backwards at the deep voice resonating from behind. He felt the barrel of a weapon pressed to the back of his head, the manner in which it was positioned enough to tell him whoever was holding the weapon intended to make good on the threat.

"Err..." Ryou tipped his head around, gasping in surprise at the man he saw standing behind his crouched position. What an odd fellow indeed, with hair frazzled from being stroked to often with anxious hands, hair that been applied with three unique colours.

But it was his eyes that were the most beautifully startling factor about him, beyond the strange uniform he wore or how rather short he was. The eyes of pure blood red, without a black iris in centre, instead the iris was replaced with a faintly glowing ring of gold that resized with each second. Ryou gasped. They were robotic eyes, they had to be, or eyes that had been enhanced with robotic cells. Fascinating really. Far more fascinating than the strange weapon that was pointed at him.

"Hello!" Ryou grinned.

The man frowned, as if he hadn't been expecting such a cheerful reply. "What are you doing on my ship?"

"Your ship..." The mutant puffed out his cheeks, glancing around the corridor, "Oh...I see...you...must be-."

The strange man was suddenly struck as Bakura lunged upon him. Ryou squeaked, throwing up his arms in defence as his Captain pinned the strange new comer to the floor ruthlessly, growling darkly.

"Don't you point a weapon at one of my crew! Least of all the kitten!"

"Bakura-." Ryou shouted, "don't hurt him-."

"Ryou!" Mai grasped the mutant's shoulders, hoisting him up with her strong grip, "are you alright dear..."  
Ryou tipped around, noticing Tristan was following up behind, his weapon pointed at the growling new comer Bakura still held pinned under him. Ryou felt his stomach twist, having the oddest sensation that the man lying under his Captain was allowing himself to be held captive. Something about his poised muscles under his tight uniform and his hard stare made the mechanic sure that despite his obvious lack in height, the man was a pure warrior and could have, if he wished it, taken them all on without too much of a worry.

"Captain...please...don't hurt him, he didn't mean me any harm. We were just having a conversation!"

"Kitten, not now...Mai, give me the cuffs."

Mai quickly moved to Bakura's side, ignoring Ryou's dark pout at being so blatantly pushed to one side. The new comer was cuffed tightly and hoisted to his knees to stare at them all, quiet, thoughtful eyes studying them as though they were the strangest looking people in the universe.

"Alright." Bakura welded the man's tube like weapon, twirling it between his fingers before stuffing it away in his pants. The Captain positioned himself before the man.

"Who are you and why are you on this ship! We found this ship first..."

Ryou closed his eyes as the man spoke. Oh such a lovely voice, like velvet, liquid chocolate, that divine, wonderful chocolate that Bakura would buy every-so-often for him to happily chew. This man's voice was a chocolate as the tone of his skin. It held authority and unwavering stead-fastness.

"I am the Captain of this vessel, so obviously I wouldn't be anywhere else would I?"

Mai and Bakura shared a glance.

"The Captain?" Mai raised an eyebrow, "That's impossible...this...ship has been in the event horizon of a black-hole for hundreds of thousands of years..."

"So..." Ryou pointed out, "obviously this Captain was trapped in the same time-frozen state."

"I would l listen to the cute one." The man inclined his head, only to pause as the barrel of Bakura's pistol touched his head.

"Don't even think about looking at the kitten."

"Oh trust me, I have one of my own to think about...you can keep yours."

"Stop being a smart-arse." Bakura snarled darkly, "Who are you?"

"Captain Yami Atemu of the Commonwealth...or...I was...I don't think it really matters anymore does it?" His expression changed for a moment, washing over with pale grief but he snapped out of it like clock-work and drew alert and agile once more.

"You're kinda small-ish...for a Captain." Tristan held out his thumb and finger, measuring the short young man's height.

Yami raised an eyebrow under his blond fridge, before settling the weapon-tech with a firm, dark glare. "My height is relativity normal; you are all just overly tall."

Mai removed her hand from her mouth, recovering from her shock. "He's a relic...from Earth-that-was-lost...Bakura...look at him...he's...real...he's..."

"He's a problem. How can we salvage this ship if he's here-." Bakura choked suddenly as something cold and hard slid firmly around his neck, slamming him into the wall, pulling his wind-pipe shut as though a hand had grabbed him.

Everyone moved, weapons where aimed, most surprisingly not at the young captain staring in gaping shock at him. Bakura twisted, trying to force himself free. The tightness only grew, squeezing the air from his lungs until he was barely tittering on the edge of wakefulness.

"Yugi! Let him go! That is enough!" The young captain bellowed the order.

Bakura felt himself released. He stumbled forward, gagging for air, pulling it into him as he shook stars of bright sparks from his vision. Mai hoisted him upward.

Bakura pushed her aside. "What in the blazes was that?" He spat, rubbing his throat.

"Salvage me!" A voice spoke aloud, causing the crew to glance around in confusion at the allusive speech. Unable to find anything to point their weapons upon other than the man already tied up tightly in binds.

Bakura thinned his eyes at the strange, bound human, who's wiry smile was evidently as dark and stormy as his own could become. Something sinister lay behind the red glazed eyes, something that made the Captain shiver. They had both seen the same amount of battle, that much was obvious. War too, perhaps, yes, this man knew the horrors of war.

"Who is that...?" Bakura pointed his pistol at the prisoner. "Who is speaking...?"

"That would be me..." The voice spoke again. "The one you are thinking of cutting up into parts and selling to the highest bidder. By all rights, you should be dead on the spot for daring to touch my Captain but considering you are the ones who got us out of the event horizon of the black hole I am willing to provide you a chance to explain yourselves before I fry your brains..."

"Come out and fight then!" Tristan bellowed, "like a man! You wuss!"

Yami barked a sudden laugh. "A man...Yugi is not a man. Here...it is a god. If Yugi wished it," the young captain leant his head back wearily, his accent rich and fluid. He looked up from his positioned upon the floor, "you would all be dead."

"Yugi..." Ryou whispered, brow pressing down in slight confusion. "The ship?" The mutant gasped, his face lighting up in sudden delight, vanquishing the confusion that had lingered. "You mean...it really is alive! That isn't just a myth! Captain!" Spinning on his heels Ryou lunged towards Bakura, latching onto his arm tightly. "It's a real living ship!"

"You have got to be kidding me." Tristan lowered his weapon, staring around at the walls in sudden admiration.

Yami tipped his chin upward in defiance. "Yugi is my ship, I am its Captain."

"An artificial intelligence..." Stepping back a pace Bakura glanced around the white room, the walls appearing solid enough, yet he could distinctly recall seeing them shimmer and vibrate like the surface of a pond when the time-traveller had been bound. It had not been an illusion, nor even his mind playing tricks on him for being too long in space.

The myths, the legends, the tales taken from the generation ships had spoken truth. At some point in the distant past, there had been living ships and he was standing in one of them. He almost had the odd feeling of wanting to fall to his knees at the honour, but he wouldn't, because this was ridiculous.

"You're...telling me this ship is alive." The Captain looked back towards Yami, pulling to one side and poising his weapon as the time-traveller stood elegantly to his feet, unfazed by the bindings that held him tight.

"Yes, this ship is a liquid-living vessel, a constantly regenerating, self-healing, self-contained, living, breathing, ship...oh...it also likes to sing, dance and it has a terrible, terrible sense of humour." His expression had lightened somewhat, as if someone was murmuring amusing words into his ears to ease his tension riddled shoulders and taunt, exhausted muscles.

"As soon as you entered this ship you were infected with nano-technology." Yami motioned with a tip of his head to the surrounding air before settling his alien red gaze upon the bundled together crew that gaped in awe, "those nano-tech in your system are a part of Yugi's liquid-flesh. It can, for a little while, at least, control those extensions of itself. If it wanted to it could give you a blood-clot, stop your heart, squish your lungs...turn your stomach inside out...burrow a hole through your skull..." Yami sighed, "it is a war-ship...it is built to defend himself from invasion. You have stepped on board a biological weapon. One that shall do my every bidding..."

The young man made a small wince as his arm muscles tightened for a brief moment and a resounding snap sounded in the room. Yami pulled his arms away from behind his back, holding out the cuff-ropes that had held him captive.

"I am a heavy-worlder...you need something a bit stronger than filmy metal to keep me contained." He gave them no time to answer nor express their awe at the feat, instead, his head tipped to one side and his nose wrinkled slightly. He was listening to something, something they could not hear.

"Someone is calling you, Yugi's picked up a radio frequency...shall I have it patch it through for you?"

Bakura stared for a moment before stirring himself into movement with a nod. "Alright..."

The time-traveller seemed to give an affirmative sign as over the unseen intercom of the ancient vessel a distraught voice came through.

"Ah...Captain...I'm...er...well, there is this...er...Alliance...guys, could you come back?"

Bakura scrubbed at his brow, under his wide brimmed hat. He was sure Joey was wearing his overly concerned smile right at that moment. "Can he hear me?" Bakura glanced towards the time-traveller. He was defiantly military raised, with his stout, firm stance and defiant eyes glistening in readiness for battle. Bakura gave an inward snort, knowing the man had allowed himself to be tackled to the floor and cuffed, a manner of approach that meant he had gauged them as unthreatening. For a moment Bakura had to wonder what the man thought was indeed threatening?

"Yes." Yami replied. "Yugi is relaying your reply."

Bakura nodded in thanks, speaking to the air around him, "Joey..."

"Oh thank the Oiren Belt!" The pilots voice near shouted. Mai winced at her husbands shrill cry.

"Joey, what did you say about the Alliance?"

"They've arrived...and they've been trying to hail me for about four minutes. I sent them an automatic reply but I don't think it'll last long..."

Bakura's brow furrowed. "What do you mean they've arrived! Why didn't you say something the moment you picked up their ship in range?"

"I couldn't reach you!"

"Damn it." Bakura swore, stringing off a sentence of words under his breath as he spun on his heels. "Bloody Red Flag narcissist loons!"

Yami raised an eyebrow at the scene the strange white-haired man displayed. Curiously he tipped his head to one side, inquiring gently to his ship as he placed a hand upon a wall, giving it a gentle stroke.

"Yugi, how long has the approaching mentioned vessel been in range?"

"I've been sensing its approach since the moment we were pulled free...and my systems went back on line..."

"What!" Bakura snapped, jerking towards the time-traveller, "You didn't tell us!"

The angelic voice chimed out, hardly seeming concerned. "Are they enemies? I thought you may have been a possible away-team sent here-."

"They're Alliance." Mai hissed sharply under her breath, holstering her weapon upon her hip. "Captain, we have to get back to Serenity...and to...Joey..."

"Agreed, tell your husband to pull around-."

"Wait..." Yami stepped forward, "who are the Alliance?"

"They're the Alliance..." Ryou whispered weakly, his tail curled tightly, "the gathering together of the inner planetary system around Iris...the main star of this cluster."

"They're the government of this system?" Yami frowned.  
"Yes...and trust me, Mr. Time Traveller...you do not want to deal with them. They will take this ship away from you...by force." Tristan shoved past, flashing his large gun.

Yugi's voice echoed from all around. "I am a war-ship...I would not be taken easily, I assure you."

"It's not a matter of being a war-ship or being taken down easily," Bakura slid his pistol into its holster and realigned his wide brimmed hat atop his head, "it's a matter of them having a lot more gusto on their side. Kids, lets get the hell-outta-here before we meet our nasty overseers..."

"Couldn't agree more." Tristan bounded away, through the nearest doorway. Bakura shifted to follow, giving Mai a dark glare. Before the Captain managed to step Ryou's white hands grappled his arm, stalling him abruptly.

"Captain, we cannot just leave him here? He knows nothing of this time!" The mutant pointed towards Yami standing absently to one side. "And this ship! It's a living ship! We cannot let the Alliance get a ship from Earth-that-was-lost."

Bakura snarled, wrenching his arm away from the mechanic. "Kitten, I do not run a charity! I do not stop and help everything little thing you want to bring home."

"You brought me home!"

"Yes, I did, but you're a...one...off thing."

"You don't get it!" Ryou backed away, "this is a liquid-living-ship, I grew up in the colonies listening to stories about them...if the Alliance manages to get even a handful of information either this ship holds or what that man over contains in his mind then our days of looting and being free are gone."

"Kitten, I am not auguring about this. Come on!"

"Oh, it's no wonder you lost the war!" Ryou snapped, "just because their guns are bigger than yours doesn't mean you're going to lose!"  
"Yes, it does!" Bakura slammed a foot down, "and don't you dare, Ryou, bring up the war! Mai, grab him, we're getting out of here while we have the chance-."

Mai moved to grasp the mutant and Ryou shifted to lung away quickly yet both stalled.

"Too late." Yugi's voice interjected calmly, stopping all movement of the humanoid's within its protective shell. "I have just intercepted a transmission between the approaching...Alliance...er...shall I call it a Cruiser? Yes, alright then, the Alliance Cruiser is hailing your vessel, your pilot has responded."

"Damn it, Joseph." Mai bit her plush red lips.

"Mai, the automated response wouldn't have kept them busy for long, he had no choice." Tristan touched her arm lightly.

There was a flicker of light to the corner of the corridor, the specs, like tiny little dust particles, fused together in a congregation to form a holographic image of a humanoid being standing gracefully and balanced. Dressed in a silver gown that dropped over a suite of black, the graceful hologram wandered towards, the movements causing the locks of a golden fringe to dance as though it waded through water. The remainder of the hair, seeped as black as space itself, remained like a frazzled mop of a crowning halo.

Ryou smiled in delight. "_Millennium Yugi_?"

The hologram smiled slightly in greeting. "Pardon my interruption, but sir..." It glanced towards Bakura, "does this Alliance not allow you free-will over this quadrant of space?"

"They're pampas dictators...and...we're not on their favourite list of-."

"You're criminals...yes...they've accessed your files."

"Criminals to them." Ryou pouted, "To us...they're the criminals..."

"Yugi, turn about and fire a warning shot past them..." Yami spoke up, "keep them interested in us and not the other vessel."

"I do apologise sir," the hologram flickered, "but before we entered the black hole you ordered me to disengage from the rest of my body...I left my weapons system behind and until I have time to regrow those systems I am afraid I am limited to first-system firing range...which can only be accessed at the main-deck."  
"Over-ride-."

"I cannot over-ride sir, this is a primary function of the Commonwealth."

"Yugi!" Yami pointed at the hologram with a finger, "we are no longer in the Commonwealth! You're free to over-ride anything you want!"

"I am?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then, over-riding primary function...access to first-system firing range is on full...though, shall I make a suggestion to you all...I would get to the main-deck. Better shields."

Yami turned to move, "This way!" He gave a wave. "Yugi fire that warning shot...then vibrate and cut off their communications with the other vessel...oh...and disengage the shuttle attached to your hull."

"Hey!" Bakura snapped, running up behind the dashing time-traveller, "that's my shuttle!"

"Do you need it anymore?" Yami slapped a hand over a panel to a lift and darted inside, quickly followed by all four of the strange passengers.

"Well...no...not really..."

"Good. Because it'll be sucked into the black-hole any minute now." Yami flashed a smirk as the lift opened, revealing the main-deck alight with shimmering holograms and the panoramic windows displaying the swirling mass of the black-hole. The view of the windows shifted, small boxes forming, zooming in on the approaching large brick of a blue glowing Alliance Cruiser.

Yami whistled as he cast himself into his Captain's chair, ignoring the startled explanations of the new-comers from behind at the sight of the main-deck. "That is the size of a small city..."

"Indeed sir." Yugi's voice whispered in his ear. "They're powering weapons...they seem to be using nuclear-reactors..."

Yami fiddled with a holographic display panel. "That's dangerous."

"I suggest not blowing it up sir." Yugi replied darkly. "At least not this close to a singularity."

"Agreed...now...can you plot a course away from this sector?"

"Aye sir."

"No, we have to get Joey!" Mai called out. "Bakura! We have to get Joey!"

"Is he the only life-force on that ship?" Yami spun around in his Captains chair.

"Yes." Mai rushed towards the young time-traveller, "can you get him!"

"I'll do my best. Yugi, is your transporter bay functional?"

"Ah..." There was a pause and an image of the ships humanoid appearance flickered upon screen a screen. It frowned as if contemplating something. "No, sir, that was one of my systems that was damaged in the fight with...the...Armada."

"What fight?" Bakura stepped forward, shoving through holograms and dusting aside the pixels as though they were flies.

Yami glanced around towards Bakura, noticing the white-haired man was twitching at the mention of a war. "Yugi and I were involved in a war, hence the black-hole...wait...the black-hole...that's it! Yugi, up your vibrations to three-eighty-nine point two." Yami lunged out of his chair, throwing up larger holograms and twirling the blue circles as though rearranging systems with each flick of a finger. The new-comers watched in awe as the young man moved quickly, seeming to know each swell and movement of the wavering diagrams dancing around him like fluid in the air.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tristan thumped down his weapon. "Guys! I don't want the Alliance to catch us!"

Mai spun towards the weapons-tech, her face breaking into a snarl. "We'll be getting Joey before the Alliance boards the Serenity."

"And I'll blow the Serenity before the Alliance gets her." Bakura hissed. He watched as Yami worked quickly, beats of sweat dribbling down his brow. "Hey, Mr. Time Traveller...what are you doing?"

"Living ships gain energy from stars." Yami twirled around, running past Bakura to another work station, "and a black-hole is technically a dying star...if I can get Yugi to vibrate fast-enough he'll pull in the energy of the black-hole which will speed up his healing process and get the transporter bay functional again. Ryou...you...er..." Yami pointed suddenly to the mutant.

Ryou stood to attention. "Yes?"

"Take this, Yugi will lead you to the transporter bay, I need you to power-up the internal systems...install that crystal. Yugi will do the rest..."

"Captain..." Yugi's voice intercepted any movement.

Yami glanced around, watching the image appear on a screen. "If you do what you're planning you will blow out the transporter completely. I will not be able to regrow those functions...at least until I regenerate with a star again."

"Will it hurt?" Yami whispered softly.

"Yes. I will experience extreme pain."

Reaching out Yami touched a wall beside him, feeling it vibrate under his finger tips, spreading shivers through his skin.

"I'm sorry, Yugi."

The imaged sighed heavily and vanished from the screen, though Yugi's voice remained. "It's what I'm made for, Captain. Ryou...come, I will take you to the transporter bay."

Ryou blinked, looked to Bakura in a begging manner. The white-haired man rolled his eyes and gave a wave. "Go, go...Tristan...go with him."

"Aye, aye Captain." Tristan grabbed his weapon, holstering it over his shoulder, running after Ryou as the mutant quickly darted through the doors with a skip and hop to his run. The twin doors slid shut with a hiss.

Yami spun in his chair again.

"Is this dangerous?" Mai watched the young man work. Little beads of sweat were beginning to dribble down his temples, pooling on his chin and dampening his hair.

"Very." Yami glanced through his blond fringe. "Black-holes are slowly forming anti-matter...Yugi's programmed to dispel anti-matter, not take it in...so I'm rewriting it's base-coding. If it works, we'll get your Joey, if not, then I imagine it'll be a rather big bang." He swung himself back into his Captain seat.

The woman breathed out. She sensed Bakura's hand upon her shoulder, her Captain obviously reading the tell-tale signs of stress upon her brow. He knew her far too well. Her concern over Joey was born from the deep, underlining love she carried for the idiotic man.

Bakura frowned. "Why are you doing this? Couldn't you just escape...leave us here to our deaths?"

"You saved my ship from a black-hole, though your intentions where not to aid it, you still saved it. I know nothing of this place or time; therefore you are my only hope of understanding where I have landed myself and my ship. I'm trying to make a good first impression...is it working?" The flashed a charismatic grin suddenly, a grin that lit up his features, capturing the delightful handsome, wild nature he held within.

"Keep trying," Bakura gripped the side of a chair, "it takes a lot to impress me..."

"Ah, sir," the image of the ship upon a near-by screen glanced up, "the Alliance Cruiser is readying its weapons."

"Fire another warning shot."

"I would sir, but I am currently using all power to regrow the transportation device. I cannot do both, not in my current state and with dark-matter...I'm having to reroute my...oh...Ryou just uplinked the crystal. I'm at full capacity...this is going to hurt, sir, I apologise in advance for the gravity-displacement that may accrue as I re-power the transporter. Please hold onto something..."

"Who are they firing at?" Yami grabbed the arms of his chair.

"At the unshielded vessel."

"What?" Bakura bounded down the stairs towards the centre of the main-deck. Yami snagged his arm, dragging him to the chair, holding him there firmly.

"Yugi, lock onto the life-form-."

"Sir, I'm not ready-."

"Yugi, burn every silicon pad you have, just lock onto that life-form and transport! Now! Before they blow that ship out of space!"

"Locked on." Yugi's voice went shrill, "and transporting..."

Yami winced, curling up tightly, holding Bakura to the chair as the main-deck danced. The floor and walls becoming liquid as the energy-build up from the converted dark-matter distorted the interior and the hull of the living-ship. He could have sworn he heard a soft, painful cry and sob through the implanted ear-piece. He whispered apologises to the air, hoping the ship would hear them through the agony it was obviously containing.

Then abruptly, the commotion stopped, allowing the three humans to look up at the panoramic windows.

Bakura staggered to his feet, gaping at the sight of the ship he had so lovingly cared for, his home, shattered at the weapon fire splattering it into space-junk. Beside him, Yami addressed the living-ship.

"Yugi? Did you..."

"The human has been transported unharmed, sir." A painful whine echoed throughout the main-deck and Yugi's image reappeared upon the screens.

Mai staggered towards the main-doors, "Please, take me too him." She addressed the air around her, glancing around. The doors swished open and the living-ship spoke again, voice slightly stronger. A holographic form flickered to life beside her, looking upward into her features; it motioned with a hand to the corridor outside. "Follow the red-line in the walls...they're expecting you in the transporter bay."

Mai inclined her head in thanks. Briefly before dashing out the doorway she looked worriedly towards Bakura's stationary form, the man staring out the windows. Yami waved her onward. She disappeared over the threshold and the doors hissed shut once again. Carefully Yami pealed himself off the chair, "Yugi, thrusters on full. Get us out of here..."

The hologram gracefully wandered towards him, giving a slow nod.

The ship groaned. Once again the floor and walls wobbled like liquid metal under the forceful strain the vessel was undertaking at the order it obeyed obediently.

Pushing aside his fringe, Yami turned his attention towards Bakura. He watched as the white-haired man slowly took off his wide-brimmed hat and placed it to his chest. The man stood, gazing at the window, the view of his exploding ship no longer visible in the black of space as Yugi sped them swiftly away from both the Alliance and the black-hole.

Yami flipped aside controls, "Yugi...find us an...empty space to hover."

"Aye, sir." The hologram nodded in compliance.

The time-traveller slowly looked towards Bakura. The man stared vacantly, seeming to be unable to consider what had so quickly transpired without his control.

"Bad day." He spoke suddenly, as if summarising his own thoughts.

"Try...looking at it from a more positive view."

"My ship just got blown up."

"Yes..." Yami nodded slowly, "it did...but you uncovered another one."

The Captain frowned, wishing back his white hair to look directly at the time-traveller.

"All I am saying is..." Yami shifted over the floor, his boots making indents upon the moulding surface. Bakura tweaked an eyebrow slightly at the shimmering, wavering liquid of the ships floor and walls. "I have a ship, you have a crew."

The Captain flicked his gaze towards the hologram beside the young time-traveller, the gentle, pure red eyes flickering with the holographic fazing of pixels.

"No offence meant to your pretty ship but you can't replace the one I just lost! She'd been with me for years...my pretty little Firefly...one of the last too..." The Captain threw down his hat, stamping on it and bellowing suddenly. "Damn it...I should have listened to that draft old woman on Sibrerra when she said this whole 'salvage the _Millennium Yugi_' shebang was cursed!"

Yami glanced away in silent understanding. Even a non-living ship still held a heart; it was still a home to those who dwelled within it. He raised his head and looked towards Yugi, the hologram standing patiently beside him in silence, the expression upon its features somewhere between intense grief and lonely sorrow for the passing of another vessel. Or maybe his ship was trying to process the dozen or so things that had happened in little less than two hours.

Yami shook the thoughts from his mind, he would contemplate where they were and what had happened later. Right now, there was more pressing issues.

Sucking in a breath of air Yami addressed the ship. "Yugi, scan the specs of a Firefly from the crews mind's."

"Heh? What...wait...what." Bakura stepped back as a blue film shimmered over his skin, causing his white hair to freckle upwards at the soft fizzing sensation.

"Aye sir."

The holographic screen to one side shimmered to life and Bakura bent forward in confusion as an image of his destroyed ship began to appear.

"Scan complete sir." The hologram looked to Yami.

"Commence Final Transformation and Lock."

"Aye sir."

The change happened before their eyes, though it barely seemed to much a flicker and a wave as the liquid forming the vessel changed and morphed, taking new shapes and colours. Bakura turned slowly, watching in awe as, like a snake skinning itself, the liquid ship pealed back layer from layer. The vibration in the air reminded him of a lullaby, for he could almost hear the hum with his ears, and it was magical.

Yami watched the rearranging of the main-deck in silence with a sad smile. The main-deck shrunk down, and as it shrunk he could almost feel his old life dropping away from under him. The people he had own, his crew of three hundred, gone. Only he and his ship remained. Gently he held out his hand, wishing painfully that he could grasp the hand of the hologram beside him in some form of tactile touch.

Yugi shifted, looking at the hand and then towards the young man. "Sir?"

Yami closed his eyes briefly. "I'm alright..."

A final shimmer over the walls and floors finished the transformation and the hologram gave a proud grin as if congratulating itself.

"That's impossible..." Bakura stared around, turning on his heels, forgetting his prized hat upon the floor as he spun. "That's not possible...you...you had at least eighteen decks...rooms...furnished rooms. Huge decks of plants..." The man waved his hands around the small cock-pit of the Firefly.

"Yes, I did." The hologram smiled pleasantly.

"Apart from the plants...everything else I create, from furniture to cupboards...I simply put the plants some place else. In the common-room actually, they look rather nice there. You should have had plants in your last Firefly..."

Bakura stumbled, hitting the pilots chair and collapsing into it. Surprised to find it had never been worn down. Everything around him was new, perfect. It was as if he had stumbled into his ship the day it had been created – before he had even purchased it.

"Err...can you...make it a little bit more worn down. Firefly's aren't in production anymore..."

"Sure." Yugi smiled and the hologram tipped its head to one side. Everything shimmered once more, as though a coat was flickering over it and in that single wave, the metal surfaces became rusted and worn, the seat the Captain sat upon returning to its well-sat on status, losing its cushion. Even the window panels of the outside screen became dotted with dirt from Joey never having cleaned it.

"Better?" The hologram tipped backward slightly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Okay..." The Captain puffed out his cheeks, "now I'm impressed."

"Good." Yami leant back upon a wall.

Bakura propped hands upon his hips, gazing at the time-traveller. "Alright, don't look so smug about it. I don't get impressed easily but this...is impressive. Your ship is, I haven't decided if you are yet."

The young man shrugged. "I'll do my best to impress you then."

"Something tells me you've already won a few battles."

"And lost a few more." Yami added sadly.

"Well," Sweeping up his hat Bakura propped it upon his head. He held out his tanned hand and Yami smiled faintly, reaching out his own and taking the slightly taller Captain's grasp. "I think we can come to some arrangement...after all...technically, we fought the same war for freedom...just...a couple hundred thousand years apart in different solar-systems. Am I right?"

Yami smiled sadly. "I guess so."

"However," Bakura held up a hand and pointed it at the shorter man's chest, "I'm boss."

"I know nothing of this place or this time, so I, naturally, will subject myself to your over-ruling, however..." Yami gave a dark smirk, "I will question you when I wish too."

"I expect that of all my crew."

"And in the end, Yugi will obey you, but it is still my ship...there is nothing I can do about that, I'm imprinted as it's Captain. Where it goes, I go..."

Bakura raised an eyebrow, flicking his eyes towards the hologram standing slightly away from them both as if he were a ghost. The Captain nodded slowly.

"I will treat you, ship, as a part of the crew. Can you handle that?"

"I believe my matrix is complicated enough to understand the inner-workings of an out-law crew, sir, I will do my best...Captain."

"Then," Bakura grabbed his hand from the control desk and propped it atop his head with a wiry, spunky grin of victory, "let's get rolling."

"Ah, Captain..." Yugi spoke up again. Yami glanced towards it. Yugi frowned and pointed to Bakura. "The new one..."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"I need a pilot."

"You...can't fly yourself? Isn't that...the point of being a living ship?"

The hologram eyeballed the top of its head in despair. "Yes, I can fly myself, but I prefer it if someone else keeps me aligned and this form is...different...imagine me as the auto-pilot. I pilot when the pilot isn't doing his job."

"Right..." Bakura glanced around, appearing to look for something, his expression became delighted when he found it, obviously where it had always been. He reached for the intercom system and pressed a switch.

"Everyone, meet in the Common Room! NOW! I don't care if you're currently freaking out about the ship's changing...meet me there!" The Captain looked towards Yami and the hologram beside him. "I'll introduce you to the crew then. Joey's our pilot, he's an idiot, but he's good. You may scan, probe him...or whatever...to find out, but he's good."

"I look forward to working with...everyone...then." The hologram bowed.

Bakura ducked out of the cock-pit. Yami listened to the man thump away, heavy feet slapping down on the mesh-flooring. The young man slumped his shoulders, giving a long, strained sigh. For a moment he stood, unmoving, before he suddenly snapped to attention.

"Yugi, are you alright? I put you through hell..."

"I'm fine sir. My processing will be slow for quite a while, but I'll be alright."

"Are you in pain?" Reaching out Yami ran a hand down the rusty wall beside him, watching it quiver under his touch.

"Yes."

"I'm so sorry."

"Sir, it's fine. My pain is different from your pain...I just...need to shut down a few systems, regenerate and rest. Having a pilot will help, one less thing to think about while my processing is slow."

Yami nodded. He gave the wall another pat of reassurance, more for himself than for the ship.

"Still shy?" Yami turned from the wall, looking towards the hologram stationed behind him like a shadow.

Ever so slowly the images arms fell away from being curled up behind its back in the manner of a fleet-officer and the hologram turned to look directly up at him, large purple eyes fluxing with the distortion of the holographic image.

"I have never been shy, sir."

"You never let me see you as a hologram...this is...one of the first times I've stood before you."

"Sir," the hologram smiled, "I am a ship and I formulated this image of a humanoid being so that I could interact with the crew...and...you...but it was never enough for me. I could never get what I wanted. Its still just a hologram. Why bother using it if I don't feel comfortable with it."

"You rationally thought it though like that?" Yami settled into a chair.

"I spent a couple milliseconds pondering it I guess. I am sorry if it ever disturbed you sir."

"No...not at all Yugi, but you realise you'll have to use it more now, right, these...people...won't be used to having a living-ship. They'll treat you like a normal ship unless you force them into seeing you differently."

The hologram smiled. "I know sir, I'm working on it."

"And Yugi."

"Yes sir."

"Call me Yami."

A small smile feathered the holograms lips and Yami, in the brief moment it was there, knew something had changed, more than just the time or space they had been thrown into.

His ship was free.

Even though he truthfully had no idea what the concept meant, inside, his heart beat faster at the thought.

Freedom.

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Yami wandered quickly through the new, strange environment. He was still in his ship, Yugi was still whispering in his ear piece, comforting him with its mere voice but the new guise he had asked Yugi to take up was an alien one indeed. He only hoped that he would not regret his decision to trust the odd white-haired man and his bizarre crew of apparent outlaws in a system of space run by overlords. But he knew he hadn't much of a choice right now. He had to protect Yugi. The ship directed him through the dark, small corridors of it's new interior, through low hatches and over floors made of meshed iron. With the ship's aid he found himself peering into what must have been the common-room, and inwardly he realised he would the only one who truthfully knew of what the common-room meant to his beloved vessel. He how allow Yugi the choice to tell the crew, when the ship felt comfortable, hopefully, someday he would.

The young man paused, forcing himself not to think of the faces of family and friends. Those who he knew, quite horribly, that he would never see again. He was alone. In a new space and time. With only a ship and a rag-tag group of outlaws to place his own life and the life of his ship into.

"Yami..." Yugi's hologram flickered to life beside him as they watched the crew within the common room gaze around in awe at the obviously identical surroundings to that of the vessel that had just met its demise. "Do you think...we'll be okay?"

"We'll be alright Yugi." He patted a wall beside him, rubbing it, stroking slowly. "We have to be."

With a deep breath he strolled into the common-room, Yugi's holographic images following a step behind him. All heads turned in their direction.

The white-haired man, or Captain Bakura as he supposed he would have to refer to him as, stepped forward, pointing.

"This chap is Yami, our very own time-traveller and he has offered us his ship."

"You...your ship did this?" Mai looked around the common-room, at the rust, the decay. She wrinkled her nose. The place even smelt like home, but it wasn't. Joey touched her hand, the pilot squeezing it in reassurance.

"Yugi is a liquid-living-vessel, he can take on many forms. He simply needs a blue-print to scan and replicate...this, what you see around you, is simply him replicating what he gathered from your minds."

"But it was a...freaking huge ship." The gun-man, Tristan, thumped forward, "Did it shrink?"

"Yes..."

Yami sensed Yugi's hologram drift forward, to line up beside him, "Yes, I did shrink...I am able to do that...but you will find, I assure you, all the functions you are familiar with, will be the same. The only things you shall be missing are you personal items. Of that, I am sorry." The hologram bent its head.

Bakura waved a hand in the air, "All that matters, folks, is that we still have a ship...and...we're one-up on the Alliance this time."

Smiles flickered onto the faces of the crew. Yami raised an eyebrow. Being one-up-on the Alliance appeared to be a good thing. He would have to remember that. His head span suddenly. There would be much he would have to remember now. He would have to learn a whole new way of life, a whole new kind of living.

Seeming to notice his sudden change in expression Bakura slapped a hand down upon his shoulder, shaking him like a doll. "They might not look it, but they're a good crew. This is not the outcome I wanted for today, but I'm a take-what-I-can-get kind of man. Don't you worry, Time-traveller, you're in safe hands. We're the best bunch of out-laws you could hope to come-across!"

"Yes, we're wonderful!" Ryou swung his legs back and forth from his perch atop a table. "Ruffians and riffraff...who run from the Alliance and enjoy life to the full."

Yami gazed around at the faces surrounding him. He inclined his head. "Yugi and are honoured. Please, all I ask, is that you are kind to my ship. It is...very special."

"It's an ancient vessel-from-earth-that-was." Mai rolled her eyes, "We'll do our best, time-traveller, but if you get stuck and left behind I won't be picking you up-."

Yugi's hologram flashed. "Watch your mouth, woman, I am here offering my service to you! I could very easily throw out our the nearest air-lock."

"Well," Mai smirked playfully, "there you go, it can defend itself."

"I assure you," the hologram stepped forward, protectively, "defending myself is not a problem. If any harm comes to Yami, then let me assure you, I will not respond to you. This terrible, alien space of yours, with strange songs I have never heard, is like a sea of filth...but I will swim it with you. Treat me as one of your own, and we shall be fine..."

Bakura nodded. "Well said, ship."

"This is..." Ryou's grin widened before he shyly ducked around the Captain, whispering softly "fantastic."

"Well, the kitten is happy...anyone not happy about this?"

"I lost my guns." Tristan held up a hand.

"The world has ended." Bakura waved a hand in the air sarcastically. "Woe is you, you'll get more."

"Um," Joey stepped forward, glancing towards the hologram, "am I...still needed..."

"Apparently you are. So, cock-pit now, get us away from this area of space...we need to restock, so...find us a port to dock at. The ship doesn't know the layout of the land like you so...hop to it!"

"Ah...yes...Captain...ah...hello...ship..."

"Greetings." Yugi gave a smile, "Don't worry, just fly me like you did your Firefly, all functions will remain the same." His hologram flickered. "Possibly the only person who shall have adapt the most is Ryou...but...he looks like he knows what he is doing."

Ryou grinned under Bakura's shoulder, tail friskily twirling from side to side.

"I'll fire up the engines then." The mutant darted away. "I love engines!"

Shaking his head as both Joey and Ryou quickly moved into action, Bakura slumped down in a near-by chair, finding it exactly the same as the chair he had always slumped down in, down to the worn edges and scratch marks on the arms. Mai leant upon the table, folding her arms across her chest, a small scowl intending her brow.

"Problem dear?" Bakura tipped back in his chair.

"I lost my wardrobe...the Serenity...Bakura, it was our home."

The Captain reached out, grasping her hand in his larger, war worn grasp. "It still is, just consider this a home with a heart."

The woman thinned her eyes into dark slits. "How can we trust that man..." She motioned to Yami leaning wearily upon a wall, eyes distant in their glazed over gaze. The air around him radiated dejected despair and evidently, confusion as his mind turned information.

Bakura sniffed, leaning forward. His hat tipped from his head and he caught it quickly, twirling it with a finger.

"He is a traveller from a distant past, honey," the Captain looked to his second-in-command with a frown, "a past so distant we only have stories of it. It isn't that we can't trust him...the issue is more, will he trust us."

"It is unlike you to trust a man so quickly..." Mai folded her arms firmly across her chest, her eyes darkening as the Captain twirled around on his feet, mimicking a dance. She puffed back her fringe. He truly was insane half the time.

"That's because most of the people we run into are the unsavoury type, my dear..." He chuckled, "that man has more valour and morals in him than a high-tooting Priest of the Jagganorts."

Resting back upon the main table Mai shook his head.

Noticing the action Bakura pointed to her with a war scarred finger missing its finger-print. He tipped up her chin, giving her cheek the lightest of pecks.

"Don't you see it?" Bakura stepped back and flicked away his tuffs of loose hair, "He's a fighter...he's just like us. That and he's awfully good looking, don't you think?" He raised his eyebrow playfully at the woman.

"I would agree." The new voice startled them both to twist them around towards the flickering hologram standing to one side of the table. Mai gave a small smile as the hologram floated through the furniture, coming up beside them. It's large eyes seemed to study them for a moment before it gave a small bow from the waist.

"He is all I have. If you care for him, I will do everything in my power to give you whatever you wish."

Bakura wrinkled his nose at the hologram, his skin crawling under his heavy brown-coat. Though the humanoid image was startling beautiful, like the space-angels whispered about in the station-pubs, the sight of such a perfect hologram was unnerving.

"Don't worry ship." The Captain replaced his hat promptly upon his head. "Your little human is safe with me."

"Bakura, nothing is safe with you..." Mai rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Ryou's lived! And you didn't think he would!" Bakura jutted at finger at her turned back as the woman swaggered away, a tilt to her walk. The Captain pouted, glanced to the hologram, wincing when he found it still there, silently waiting.

"Errr..."

"Thank you." The hologram smiled, "For freeing me."

"Even if I wanted to salvage you and cut you up into parts to sell to the highest bidder?"

The hologram flickered before dying away, leaving the Captain standing in an empty common-room, yet the voice remained; the emotion in it had to be a fault of a wire he was sure. "I cannot blame you for that...you were only trying to find something to care for your family."

Bakura snorted, shaking his head. "You've known me for about an hour, ship, and you're already telling me what I don't want to hear."

"I assure you, if this is going to work, I'll be telling you your deepest, darkest secrets..."

"I'm sure you will, ship...I'm sure you will..."

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Silence enveloped the interior of the Yugi Millennium, but within space, the songs it played with its vibrating hull cast a lonely melody out across the vastness of the never ending wilderness. It sung in sorrow, twirling, weaving, sending light from its engines as though dribbling tears. It was a mourning of loss, of hearing no other songs but it's own, and yet the melody tasted of freedom and escape.

The hologram drifted through the new corridors of its interior, silently running a physical examination on its new crew members as they slumbered within its safe confines.

Yami was sleeping, pure exhaustion, the ship decided, had come over the young man from the experiences of the day. The vessel gave a sigh, the action vibrating through the liquid hull. The hologram approached the new courters given the young man and it drifted through the shut air-lock, finding itself within the tight confines of a small cabin. Yami lay within an indented bunk sunken into the wall.

The hologram glided towards him and knelt slowly; gazing over the peaceful slumber its captain displayed but the lines of grief where visible and it could tell he had been weeping by the texture of salt left upon his cheeks.

Reaching out a holographic hand Yugi traced it over the skin and the hair, wishing its hologram was solid and that for once, it could just brush aside the blond locks of hair.

"Do not worry, Yami..." The ship whispered, "I will look after you...even if I have to be a mule for the rest of my existence."

The hologram flickered, vanishing from the cabin, to reappear outside of the engines bay. He had registered that one member of the strange new crew was awake and didn't appear to wanting to sleep any time soon. The holographic image smiled slightly at the sight of the mutant darting around the engine, seemingly content on figuring out the new quirks.

"Am I to your standard?" Yugi inquired.

Ryou glanced up, through his soft white hair, and gave a wide, brilliant smile. "Oh, most defiantly." The mutant whispered, "You're beautiful...this liquid of yours is self replicating, this engine...is...you're astounding, gorgeous...ship, you are a work of art." He waved blue stained hands in the air. "I am madly in love with your engines! Look at this! It's perfection in a bottle!"

"I am glad you think so."

"I do..."

"You actually know what you're looking at don't you...?" The hologram wandered into the white room, gazing around thoughtfully. It was the only part of the Firefly he had been unable to fully replicate.

"You have a singing silver engine...this is where your liquid is replicated and sent throughout the rest of your body. Like a heart beating...and this...this is like your lungs!" Ryou pointed to a back section, lifted slightly higher in the smooth whiteness of the rounded room. "It's where your vibrations are structured and that is how you propel yourself through space isn't it...by singing...oh ship, you are the most delicate thing I have ever touched..." The mutant sighed in delight.

"It takes...or...it did take...the engineers and mechanics years to train to take care of me."

"Well," Ryou leant upon the main humming drive, its silver insides glittering with blue strands of liquid, "you've lost a bit of weight."

The hologram raised an eyebrow, "Indeed, I have."

"I know things," the mutant glanced away, "I don't know how I know them, I just do...when I look at an engine...I know how to work them. I can look at anything and it just...comes to me..."

Yugi nodded. "I figured as much."

"Bakura said they changed me..." Ryou looked down at himself thoughtfully, "whatever they did...but I'm not so sure. I suppose, someday I may find the answer and maybe I won't. I'm not to fussed...Bakura promised to look after me."

Yugi nodded. The hologram turned slightly, the ship seeming to make a momentary decision. "Come with me."

Ryou raised both eyebrows, darting away from the engine module and towards the hologram, eyes wide with a sudden spark of interest. Yugi lead him slowly through the ship, coming to the empty common room, only the dim flicker of blue liquid lights radiating any form of vision through the dim light. Yugi came to a door, which, Ryou realised, had not been there before and nor had it existed as part of their old vessel. The hologram paused in front of the door.

"This is a secret compartment, I will allow you access to it but you only...please, do not inform anyone of it unless you have too."

"I don't like keeping secrets from the Captain."

"You'll understand when I show you." Yugi offered and the door slowly slid open to reveal a pure white environment. Ryou slipped in, eyes wide in wonderment. He turned around on his bare feet, glancing between the crystal shafts rising from the floor up to the ceiling, all filled with faint veins of blue liquid that he had come to understand was the liquid that the ship used like blood.

"What is this place...?" The mutant whispered, not wishing to speak louder in the seemingly holy turf.

"It is where I store information...you're in well...my memory storage I suppose. See, these here, these are files for the crew...they would come here when they needed information." Yugi pointed with a finger towards a wall. "Press the small blue dot on the surface."

Ryou did so and stepped back as a draw slid open, revealing holographic display sheets. Delighted Ryou picked up a sheet, blinking as it activated from his touch and the soft light reflected off his white skin. Playfully his tail curled, before dancing in excitement at what he read. Then slowly, his tail slumped to the floor, slack and lifeless.

Ryou stared at the holographic sheets and over the thousands of small blue dots that must have held more draws of sheets. His hands began to tremble in silent revered awe.

"My gosh..." He looked slowly towards Yugi's shimmering hologram of fluxing pixels. "The...Alliance can...never...get a hold of these. Ever. These...they could build...everything that Earth-that-was-lost had..."

"I know." Yugi closed his holograms eyes for a moment. "But there is something...else..." Another section of the wall of files opened with a soft sigh, the liquid wall glittered faintly from the movement. Ryou frowned and stood on his hind paws as Yugi drifted forward to point to a slim glass sheet. Carefully Ryou picked it from its shelf. At his touch the surface came alive.

The mutant glanced over the scanning information, his lips slowly turning into a faint, lingering smile of delight and he began to squeal softly as his body trembled with untapped excitement. He jerked up suddenly, his eyes catching Yugi's sad, hesitant and worried look.

"The ship that walks..." Ryou whispered softly. "I heard...legends...that the forgotten-generation ships had avatars..."

"Can you do it? Could you understand this information...I have all the materials needed."

Ryou slowly nodded.

Yugi's sullen expression slipped into one of a hopeful smile. "You can do it then?"

"Yes." Ryou held the hologram pad up and gave a fanged grin. "I'll make you an avatar."

"Thank you!" The ship's walls brightened from their dull blue to an unexpected, bright pink.

Ryou laughed in glee, spinning on his hind-heels and rushing for the door. He grabbed it, hoisting it open, turning to look back at the hologram. "Let's get started right now!"

The hologram nodded. "I'll join you in the engine room."

"Well, you're everywhere at once aren't you?" Ryou laughed. "Tell me, ship, what does it feel like to dance in space?"

"When all else fades...there is left but one song...the nothingness in which I embrace. There is no touch, no sound, no truth. All I know, all I love, is within me, and I will carry you all until the end of my days..."

"Ship."

"Yes?"

"Let's be friends." Ryou flashed a smile, white ears twitching atop his mop of silver hair as the hologram gave an honoured bow.

"Ryou Gemni, I am _Millennium Yugi_, the last of the AI's and a Liquid Ship from Earth-that-was."

The ship felt a weight lift from within; as though it had been realised from a tight bond of control. Everything made sense in that singular millisecond. With a content sigh of its core processor, matrix systems shimmering blue across the dark hull of the Firefly form, Millennium Yugi danced in the silence of space, space that held its own melody, a melody only he could hear.

It was a ship, a war-ship, free to fight whatever battles it now wished. It need not sing songs of sorrow, but songs of release and pride, of adventure and journeys.

_Yami..._

_I will look into the black abyss with you._

_Just as you looked into the black abyss with me when all else failed..._

_And you set me free._

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_Well, that was the pilot episode for this new series – I love the idea – I just hope other people do as well._

_It's kind of a mash up between two tv shows – Andromeda and Firefly. I'll be curious as to what you think!_

_I'm currently not at home, we're on holidays and I found myself a small cafe that has internet ^^;; _

_I hope you've all had a good New Years and I wish you all the best for 2011. _

_Hugs!_


	2. Episode 2: Beginning

_Um…_

_Hey everyone…_

_Yeah, I know…its been a really long time since I've been around the fanfiction world and I am so very sorry but much has happened, much has been happening and now I am just waiting._

_Life is pretty rough, but I'm rougher! _

_I apologise to all the new-readers and my older-readers for having not replied to any reviews in months and months, I feel so terrible about it. I've been really awful in communicating with people of late and it's something I promised myself I would keep up. So, rest assured, I'm back, I'll try to upload as often as I can and answer your reviews too._

_I really hope you enjoy this next instalment of Millennium Yugi – for those waiting on an update for TDS's…that's coming along, it's just a lot of writing and fixing and figuring out plots and characters and I'm really, really rusty!_

_I hope you're all doing well and keeping fine._

_And so, for your enjoyment…episode 2!_

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In all we do, let us walk together into destiny,

Therefore we shall not be alone,

When our final hour comes.

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Episode 02 – Beginnings

Space was like one endless melody pieced together by the ever expanding universe. _Millennium Yugi _knew all theories about the creation of the cosmos itself, that a great deity had once spoken it into being, or that matter had collided so quickly an eruption of slowly forming life had occurred. Whatever was the case, there was one thing it did know, that the universe itself sung a never ending song of exploration and humans, in their tiny, fraction of lives, silently heard the tune. It called to them, like a whisper... 'follow me, follow me'

And so humans followed, without really knowing why or how, they followed that invisible, unheard melody.

That was why they stretched themselves to their limits, why humans had such a drive to achieve, to explore and to discover.

How it envied them for their ability to see beyond boundaries that contained them. They saw a greener grass upon the other side, though green the grass may not have been in the end.

Yet, all it, as a ship, could do, was quietly dance to the melody of the universe. It had been created by the hands of human-kind, as a way to capture and contain space as a frontier. Surely though, free now of the restraints of a war-torn Commonwealth, it could explore what once it had never been allowed to explore; that anomaly inside its cybernetic mainframe. An anomaly that birthed within it a reason for true function, yet it did not know what such a function was. It was sure it would discover it, in this strange new home of foreign songs.

Humans thought space to be silent.

But it wasn't.

The planets themselves danced a heavenly ballet, turning, twisting, twirling and making such beautiful notes that each played like a different instrument. The stars, the asteroids, the dust between vast spaces, everything and all things sung.

_Millennium Yugi _found it such a painful shame that no human could hear what it heard.

That melody of the universe itself that called glory to creation. How vast, how magnificent, how awesome creation was and it respected it.

Why?

Because it had been created too. It was a testimony to the greatness of humans and therefore it had a right to join the great symphony of the greatest song ever sung.

The ship glided, humming patiently to itself, delighted that the humans within its safe and warm confines were well and protected.

Though, Yami worried it terribly. It's once-captain's demeanour of being so brilliantly wonderful, dashing and explorative had dulled to but one faint glowing light. He was dying in this alien time and place and _Millennium Yugi_ found itself watching anxiously, hoping, praying, begging that it would be given enough time to find an answer to its beloved human's plight.

To protect it's humans was it's function, but to protect Yami, that itself came from some other place within it's matrix, though it had yet to figure out where or why whenever it turned its sensors towards the young man, it's processing would change abruptly. Surely, it had never had this problem before, but perhaps it had always been around and only now, in the light of having so much less to process it was coming far more obvious.

Yet what was it?

Space could only tell.

But it intended to find out.

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Yami gazed at himself in the burnished surface of the awkwardly tilted mirror in his small courters. In three weeks he had changed, he was not the young commonwealth captain who had topped every class, he had lost weight, found himself being sullen and withdrawn around the strange crew who seemed to adapt to things so quickly.

That was their life, though, the ability to adapt to sudden and abrupt change. He had no role and it was in that void that he was fading away. He had always had a role. Who was he if he was not the youngest Captain of the Commonwealth, the son of one of the war-lord Captains of the Interplanetary Alliance? Who was he if he was not fighting for freedom?

Sighing he swept back his long hair, plating it into a braid down his back before wearily reaching for a jacket and slipping it over his shoulders. It had been his captain jacket, but he had stripped it of its medals and patches and it was now simply a black and silver jacket that smelt of the spices his mother used for cooking and reminded him horribly of home.

Yugi's soft little voice was his only grounding to reality. It sung him to sleep and woke him in the mornings. He clutched to it as though it was a life-line, asking the vessel to simply quote books from its memories, just to speak to him, anything. He wanted simply to hear the voice and know he was still alive.

Slipping out of his cabin into the dark corridors Yami sighed heavily, threading his way through the corridors towards the docking bay, the largest part of the new design Yugi held. Fair enough, the vessel was still a sizable mass, though no way near the size of the Commonwealth design it had once taken, but there was still a bit of walking involved to get from one end to the other.

Around the edges of the docking bay was a balcony for walking above the cargo, it jingled from the wire meshing it was formed out of as he strolled across it. He leaned upon the railing, surveying the rusting world. Yugi could never rust and seeing him with a rusting interior was so very strange. He could vividly recall the first time he had wandered the ship's corridors when it had been a Commonwealth vessel, so sleek, smooth and stark like the well groomed and high official ship it had been. Now, now it was reduced to appearing like an aged machine.

Still.

They had landed in the right hands and for that he was thankful to the universal gods.

Bakura and his crew were good people, from what he could gather through their interaction as a mixed family of people from different walks of life trying to survive in the blackness and coldness of space. He respected Bakura for maintaining a level head in situations. The man might have looked like a half-crazed lunatic but his eyes shone with vibrant intelligence.

In the three weeks of being within the future he had forced himself to learn what he could about the super-solar system, trying hard to make sure he knew what he could to protect Yugi if need be. According to the hologram documents he had read and what the crew had told him from nights sitting around the common-room, it was a network of close-knitted solar-systems, some with dwarf stars, while the main star, or Iris was it was named, was a giant that was centred in the centre solar-system in which all others orbited. All together the planets numbered in the hundred-thousands. From what he had gathered there were four sections of planets.

The first layer clustered together, all nearest to Iris, and they were the Alliance ruled planets. The second sector was still Alliance ruled, though they were far more agricultural.

The third ring was less terra-formed, its planets apparently harder and crustier than those of the first two rings, yet they were inhabited and apparently less supervised by the Alliance.

The forth section was the Outer Rim, where no rules ruled but the rules of an endless game of survival existed. The Alliance lorded by power, by regulation of supplies, like tyrants but they were, in some ways, keeping order. According to Bakura, the Outer Rim was the only place one could be free of the Alliance, though it was a deadly game to miss them even there. The Outer Rim was still unknown, unseen space and every year it was getting smaller by the sheer strength of the slowly increasing Alliance. There were planets that had not yet been terra-formed or planets that had long been lost into history amongst the Outer Rim, and it seemed that they were the planets to be curious about.

Amongst it all he had read nothing nor heard anything about aliens.

No mention of the Tran.

Which meant Yugi was safe...for now...at least.

"Hey..." He was startled out of his thought as a hand slapped down upon his shoulder and he glanced up and around, finding Bakura lording over him. The man's insane taste in jewellery jingled from his movements, his wide brimmed hat shading most of his face. Multi-coloured scarfs and the patches woven into his brown trench-coat was an impossible conundrum to ponder about the man. He and his crew obviously lived a life of not wanting to stand out and yet the way Captain Bakura Amir bounced around drunkenly and happily flaunted his wild array of colours, he was the most noticeable man in space.

He practically had a stamp on his forehead reading 'shoot me, I'm an idiot'.

With a tip Bakura pulled his wide brimmed hat back slightly, enough for Yami to find his eyes, outlined in a thick black layer of kohl.

"You've finally arisen out of your hole, time traveller."

Yami shrugged. "Needed to stretch the legs."

"Well, its good that you did, because I was just about to come and break down the door and pull you out myself. I don't like it when someone who is a part of my crew doesn't pull their weight, you're under me, pretty-boy, therefore I want you up and about when I call. Got it?"

"Aye, sir."

"Good."

"May I inquire as to what is going on? I sensed Yugi slowing down for decent?"

Bakura began to move down the stairs to the lower deck of the docking bay into the cargo hold, already riddled with boxes and crates they were hauling for someone for some amount of pay.

Yami had forced himself not to feel sick at the thought of _Millennium Yugi_ making cargo runs. A great, masterful warship reduced to this. Though, the ship had assured him, it was of little worry to it and therefore he should have not worried also.

Following Bakura Yami leapt down the stairs, his anti-gravity belt catching him and lightly settling him on the floor. Bakura snorted something under his breath and Yami smiled faintly.

"We're heading to a Port, drop this luggage off and hopefully pick up some paying passengers." Bakura ran a hand wearily through his hair.

Yami glanced up, frowning. "Why?"

"Oh, gosh, I don't know...because we lost everything when the ship blew up. No cash, no food...no cash, no nothing! And I have Tristan wanting to buy more guns, Mai with no wardrobe, Joey without his toys, me without...well...stuff. Star-dust knows we need more food! Anything you want to add to the list of things needed and wanted!" Replacing his wide-brimmed hat atop of his head Bakura spun on his feet playfully.

"Yugi won't be able to reveal itself with passengers onboard." Following the Captain's twirling around the cargo bay Yami stood, hands firmly behind his back in the manner he had always been taught in the Academy.

"Good, because that hologram creeps me out, how do you deal with it..."

"You don't like it's form?" Yami frowned, "Odd, Yugi's form is chosen to be particularly likeable by everyone."

"It's not it's image I have trouble with, because its fine, it's all cutey-while-evil-balance-ratio-correct...yup..." Bakura flapped a hand in the air, "it did a bang-up job in that department...it's the hologram...its...Alliance-y."

"To advanced for you?" Yami managed a weak smile, the visible lines of sleeplessness lifting for just a moment.

"Something like that." Bakura shrugged, tipping his wide-brimmed hat back slightly.

"Still, Yugi will not be able to make himself known...I am not sure if that is a good idea. It is not a normal ship, it has thoughts as well...you need to include him in your decisions as it is it's body we are tramping around in."

Bakura nodded. "If it helps, I did ask it. It said something like 'whatever you say sir,' so I took it as a yes."

Yami sighed.

Yugi had not been replying much of late and he could not think of a reason why the vessel would be using more processing than usual. Or maybe his beloved ship needed to think and mourn its own losses also. Or maybe it really was shy.

"It'll live, I'm sure...it's just for a week or two. Maybe we all need ear-implants like you." The Captain twirled a finger around near his ear.

"Oh," Yami shook his head, "trust me; you don't want that angelic voice in your ear twenty-four-seven."

"I don't?"

"Imagine Ryou on your arm...all the time."

"Hmmm, good point." Bakura chuckled. He paused for a moment, feeling his pants under his brown coat. In a shifting action he reached around under the long leather jacket and pulled free a pistol. With a side-ways glance he flicked it towards Yami. The ex-captain snatched it from the air in a fast-paced reaction, confused as he held it out as though it were an alien toy.

"What's this for?"

"Oh, I donno...your personal protection? Ever used one...or is it too," Bakura smirked, "archaic for you?"

Yami opened up the weapon, peering at the bullets within. "Interesting that you use projectiles..."

"Yeah, well, we're not rich sods like the Alliance. We're better."

"Why...do I need this all of a sudden?"

"Because, time-traveller, I said before, you're part of my crew, its time you started pulling your weight. You're coming with me and Trissy, we're going looking for a job. Hope your moral values aren't too high..."

"Steal from the rich, give to the poor?"

"Yeah, something like that...but we're the poor ones...most of the time."

Yami shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

"Good." Bakura popped his lips, "One minute...gotta ask, how old are you?"

Yami frowned. "Twenty-seven."

"You look younger."

"Heavy-worlders usually do, something about our physical make-up being adaptable to different environments...we also live longer...why? Do I need to be a particular age to do something?"

"Nah, you just look younger, sometimes that's not a good thing in this day-and-age. The way you stand and what you're wearing, is adding to the youthful effect...we need to roughen you up a bit..."

Yami gave a small scowl, glaring through his fringe at the Captain. "Alright and just how old are you?"

"Not telling." Bakura grinned and suddenly lurched at Yami. Surprised, he darted backward, only be caught by the firm grasp of the Captain and pinned to the wall beside him. He waited for Yugi to respond to his sudden danger, but no reaction sounded from his ship. That was overly odd and slightly worrisome.

"Are you insane." Yami hissed. "Remember the last time you tried to pin me down...what are you doing! No, get off me, don't touch...ouch...what are you doing, trying to molest me!"

A high pitched laugh came from above and Yami quickly turned his head upward.

"Don't worry," Mai called out, the woman leaning causally upon the railing of the high-walk way. "He's impulsive. You get used to it after awhile. He had one too many rockets blown up near his ears...addled his brains."

Yami winced as he heard a rip, his once pristine high-guard shirt being torn at the shoulders, the sleeves pulled away, leaving his arms bare. Bakura stepped back, tipping his head to one side, gazing over his work.

"Hmmm...can you slouch a bit?"

"No."

"Just a wee bit?"

"No."

"Space Dust, you're intimidating just standing there." Bakura looked towards Mai, arms out stretched in a dramatically poised pose. "When the Ambassador gets here, please inform her that we'll need some of her old clothes. Mr. Dashingly Handsome here looks way to high-tooting and weird right now in these ancient rags of by-gone days."

Licking his hands Bakura pounced upon the ex-captain before him. Stepping back with a squeak Yami held up his arms in protection, the movement only causing Bakura to chuckle in wild humour as he ruffled the head of tri-coloured hair until it was frazzled and messed.

"There...much better."

Yami stood limp, gazing blankly at the Captain. "You," he breathed out deeply, "are insane."

"So they say." Bakura flashed a loony grin.

"Who are they?"

"The voices...in my head..." Bakura popped his lips, eyebrows raised in mirth as Yami tipped back and groaned in distain. The Captain gave a twirl, making his patch-worked brown coat pillow out like a bell as he swung towards the intercom system, pressing the centre button.

"Kitten, this is your Captain, I need you down here! We're landing soon!"

Yami poked his head under Bakura's arm as the only reply that came was a muffled hiss.

"Kitten!"

"_I'm busy." _The intercom buzzed in reply. "_Go away Captain!" _

Bakura hit the surface hard only to flinch back as Yami grabbed his arm and pulled it aside.

"Careful." The shorter man released his arm quickly, giving a small incline of his head, "Yugi can feel it when you hit its wall. It's best not to do it intentionally."

Bakura rolled his eyes. He touched the pad again, shouting down the line, "Ryou!"

"_I said I'm bloody busy! Leave me the hell alone!" _

"Ryou, I am not saying it again, get down here right now, we're descending to Sector One Port Hioval...I need you down here to look pretty and sell our nice new ship to some possible paying passengers."

A pause filtered back through the intercom. Suddenly a hologram flickered to life, causing Bakura to jump back as Yugi glided forward in a swell of small sparkling pixels, making the image almost mythically magical in its approach.

"Ryou would like to inform you that he is currently occupied, he will be here when we land."

"He's swearing at me isn't he...?" Bakura smirked.

"Indeed, sir, he is. In a number of different dialects."

"That's my boy!" The Captain swung around, bursting into a cackle of laughter as he jogged up the jittering iron stair-well, leaving Yami and the hologram to watch him vanish through an airlock door.

Sighing Yami leant upon the nearest wall, shaking his head. He frowned, noticing the hologram's dead-panned stare.

"Yugi?"

The hologram shifted, as if coming out of a daze. Its pixels swelled in the sharp movement, dusting to one side.

"Sorry."

"Yugi, your processing has been slower of late...did I damage you with that transport?"

"What? No, no, it's nothing." The hologram waved a hand in the air, the pixels fluttering like tiny white dots, "I'm just running through a couple new programs and designing a few new patches. Without a fully functioning Commonwealth crew I'm doing a few things myself...despite Ryou insisting that I've lost weight and should therefore need less operating systems. Funny that."

"Are you really alright about not showing yourself for a few weeks if Bakura does get paying passengers?"

The hologram shrugged. "I can still talk to you, that is enough...plus Captain, this is only a hologram, it's not as if I can spontaneously hug people with a hologram."

Yami smiled faintly. He rubbed a hand over the wall nearest him. "True my ship, true..." Inwardly, the young time-traveller sighed. No, to him, the voice wasn't enough and the hologram would never be enough. It never had been. He let his hand linger upon the wall, trailing as he moved through the corridors, following the eccentric Captain. His new life was insanely weird, but it was better than fighting a war he had never had a hope of winning.

And at least here...his ship had some form of freedom from the cage that had once bound them both.

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It had taken them a number of weeks, which fortunately they had had thanks to the time it took to travel between planets and space-ports, but finally, Ryou found himself staring at a masterpiece of work; it was his work. He, like a sculptor of old-earth, had carved something so perfect he almost didn't want to touch it to activate it.

It lay motionless upon the soft bed, making a heavy indentation upon the mattress, revealing that though the figure looked petite and elegant, it weighed far more than a human of such a size ever would have. This, Ryou figured, was a result of the liquid metal that he had painstakingly moulded with his bare hands. To the Alliance, such living liquid would have been worth more than gold itself and he had held it in his hands as though it was putty.

Soft locks of hair, tinted in such a way that it shined with three distinct colourings, depending on the angle of the viewer, cupped rounded features, resulting in no stark, harsh lines. Instead, everything was smooth and flowed, just like the liquid it had crafted it from.

Blue liquid travelled through what appeared to be veins, tainting the silken skin a faint indigo tinge, indicating that it was obviously an android. Ryou hesitantly placed aside his holographic clip, ticking off the last thing on the list. He nodded, more to himself than to the hologram figure in the room. The mutant flashed a brilliant smile at the hologram.

"I believe it's finished." With both hands Ryou ran his fingers lightly over the bare skin. "I've uploaded the neural interface into the philepcon brain. Hopefully, once link-up is established, the android will simply feel like...well...an extra arm...an extension of yourself."

The hologram nodded.

"Okay, so...I want to run through a systems defrag..." Puffing out his cheeks Ryou sighed as the androids eyes opened suddenly and without much concern, the humanoid doll sat up like a pin. For a moment it remained stationary before slowly it raised its arms and swung around to sit on the edge of the bed. It touched its chest, glided the hands down around its waist until it latched onto its toes.

Ryou scratched the back of his neck, finding it rather odd in that brief moment to have the hologram beside him watching when technically both where the same. Then again, he had to remind himself, technically the ship didn't look through the hologram at all, the hologram was simply a tool to make people more comfortable.

The android on the other hand was limited to the same prison view all humans sustained, trapped inside their own skulls, eyes inside sockets. A living ship had eyes everywhere. This android was like shoving a million eyes into two.  
"Can you feel your toes? Is there any tingling sensation?" Ryou leant back, watching as the android wiggled the small digits.

The android shook it's head; seeming to be unable to speak. Its mouth opened. It frowned, then blinked, looking startled that it had frowned.

Ryou shrugged. "Good...good...motor-function seems to be relaying correctly..." The mutant gazed at the hologram pad in front of him before gazing at the hologram image of the ship. The image was staring at the android, seeming to study every inch of the bare body, indicating that the ships sensors within the engine room where doing so.

"You did a good job, Ryou, thank you." The voice came through the air.

"Don't thank me yet." Ryou sighed.

"No," the android raised its head and smiled warmly, speaking in time with the hologram, creating an odd echo, "Thank you...it's perfect."

"Ah, you speak! This is good!"

The android rubbed its neck. "Will take a bit of getting used to... reciprocal echo..."

"In a couple of hours you'll have it down pat, I'm sure."

Yugi nodded. He glanced towards the hologram. "You can go you now..."

The hologram, like a mirror reflection of the android shrugged, giving a grin. "It'll need a body-language program...at the moment, the human mannerisms are blank."

"Oh...thank you." The android replied in a dull tone.

The hologram smirked. "You're so very welcome-."

"Okay..." Ryou held up his hands, "first rule...don't...don't, please, don't do that."

Both android and hologram looked to the mechanic.

"What?" The reply was unison, making Ryou cringe.

"That! Auguring with yourself and speaking as if you're two entities, its the creepiest thing I've ever seen."

The hologram laughed before vanishing in a wave of pixels.

Ryou relaxed. "Thank you."

The android nodded, going back to studying itself with anxious fingers.

"You're basically a living-doll." Ryou seated himself beside the android, pressing into the surface of the cot. "You'll need to renew your energy-liquid...I've calculated that you could last about four days without a recharge but I recommend you do it nightly. Also, if your android happens to go out of range to the 'real you'...the ship you, I have programmed in a codex that will allow you to process individually from the ships main-core and then re-link when you're back in range."

"Sounds good."

"Well, I had a feeling you might want to jump on the bandwagon with the Captains outrageous plots and conniving devilry. What would the point of having an avatar body if it could only stay in the proximity of the ship? Another suggestion," Ryou rubbed his chin, "have everyone refer to the android as 'he' to make a distinction from the ship you and the android you."

"Why?"

"So that us lesser creatures don't lose our marbles...and in public you'll be more human if we act as though you're one of us." Ryou cracked a wide grin, springing up from the small cot and casting aside the hologram sheet. With a twirl grasped hold of the main engine module, hoisting himself aloft it and crossed his hands in a contemplative manner.

"The Captain is going to have a good old jolly snigger about this."

The android glanced up slowly, raising his chin, eerie inhuman glow behind his eyes shining in the shadow cast by the fringe of hair. "Do...you think...Yami will like it?"

His voice crackled slightly, warbling through unused liquid mechanics.

Ryou grinned, "Yugi." The mutant stood up like a spring and leapt down again. He took the androids hands, studying the slim tips, feeling the soft, unworn skin, tinted faintly an alien blue from the glow of the matrix-liquid coursing through the avatars body. "You made an amazing form when you designed your image."

Bending forward Ryou kissed Yugi's forehead gently. "He'll love it, it's utterly impossible not to. You are _Millennium Yugi_, the most beautiful ship in the universe."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far-."

"I would." Ryou chuckled. "And I know..." He added softly.

Yugi frowned. "Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing..." The mutant shrugged and made to move to clean the mess of the engine room, muttering at the clutter that had accumulated in his precious space. Within minutes the mechanic had the area spotless, much to the amazement of the ship watching him.

"Hmmm, one problem." Ryou paused suddenly while holding a large canister of liquid. "You need clothes." He jerked towards the lone standing android.

Yugi glanced down at itself with a faint frown of confusion. "Oh...clothes...yes, humans wear clothes. How strange..."

"Here, I'll get you one of my large shirts and then we can go see the Ambassador when she interlinks, I am sure she'll have lots of spare clothes you could choose from! She'll love you! Tea is wonderful and she has always wanted a doll to dress up."

"Who is the Ambassador? I was not informed you had another member of your crew?"

"Well, you know that shuttle port that's empty?"

"Yes, I was wondering about why I have a shuttle-port..." The android paused. "You have a shuttle that fits there?"

"Yes. Is that alright?"

"Its fine. I can link with other vessels..." Yugi sat back, automatically crossing one long leg over the other. Ryou smiled at the motion, noting it down quickly on a pad around his belt. "So...she uses this shuttle?"

"She rents it actually. We're good for her business...we can...go so many places and then pick her up again."

"An Ambassador? With a crew like yours?"

"Well," Ryou suppressed a small giggle, finding a shirt and pulling it out of the box he appeared to keep his clothing within, "it's a bit of a joke on the Captains part. You'll understand when you meet her."

The mutant brushed at his own tail, wandering around the engine, patting it as he went into an action that caused the android to shiver lightly.

"Oh...that's weird..." Yugi whispered. "That'll take awhile to get used too..."

"I imagine your senses will be on over-load for awhile." Ryou nodded, then glanced towards the door. "I had better go down and see what the Captain wanted." He handed over the shirt he held, "Don't go out of the room yet, wait until I get back to take you to see the Ambassador. Just wander around and see how you feel on your feet. It might take some getting used to...and I don't want to overkill your processer core by more stimulation."

Yugi nodded then paused and smiled, "Well, at least I know my program of human body-language is running well enough. I'll do some rewriting on my hologram program and see if I can integrate it into the android." He pulled the shirt over his slim shoulders. Ryou touched the androids shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

The mutant smiled, brushing back a lock of the blond fringe, "You're beautiful, _Millennium Yugi,_ in whatever form you choose. I'll be back soon."

"Alright...and...Ryou..." Stopping him before he left through the engine door Yugi stood to his feet, inclining his head in a revered bow. Ryou bit his lips, realising the elegant movement had to have been from the ancient world the ship had once inhabited.

"Thank you...I am in your dept. If ever I can repay you for your kindness I shall do whatever I can."

The mutant gave a small nod before vanishing quickly out the doorway, slamming it shut and twirling the lock. It hissed back into place.

The engine room hummed in its sudden bareness of activity, the ship alone within the beating heart of its systems. The singing caused the android to close his eyes. Inside his new, mechanical liquid body, the song of space was just as strong, just as invigorating. How he wanted to dance, spin and glide to the melody and how he could. He could express such graceful notes of shifting planets, the drumming of erupting stars, the tingling of the strung together rings of the frozen giants. Every emotion he could now reveal on a face, in a body, no longer crafted out of pixels nor confined to a screen.

Not since the day it had been first activated had it ever felt such euphoria mixed with the underlining uncertainly of a new direction. He felt his skin crawl suddenly, aching for movement. The liquid within his lungs forced an exhale through his lips. Yugi lifted his arms elegantly, stretched out a leg and spun, letting the body move in time with the melody of the universe. One step at a time he paced out the dance, forward and back before he gave a final twirl and settled easily into a military stance. He stared at itself through the vision of the ships sensory, raising his hand and brushing aside the fridge thoughtfully. Slowly he settled into an inhuman stillness, simply gazing at itself, then gracefully a smile touched his features.

"And so, God said that it was good." He whispered. "Yes... it was very good indeed."

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Joey and his monstrous, outlandishly bright shirts. Honestly one had to wear shades around the man. He could bedazzle a sun and give the fusion reaction a run for its money.

Bakura tightened his fist around the rum bottle he held as he strolled into the cock-pit, glaring thinly at the happy pilot who was, at the present time, singing at the top of his lungs a small jingle from his home planet.

"Joey! Shut up!" The Captain slammed down his bottle, then paused, winced and patted the wall quickly. "Sorry...ship...er...yeah...don't tell your over-protective boyfriend, please."

"I assure you sir," the voice replied with a chirp over the intercom, "if you wish to hit my walls or any part of me I will not complain, I'm not a delicate flower...I am a war-ship. I worry more about nova-bombs scratching my hull than a little human poking my insides."

"Tell that to your little human."

"Yami is sweet, I shall not deter him from anything."

"Aren't you nice..." Bakura rolled his eyes.

"Indeed Captain, I try to be, where I can...makes up for being a war-ship." The intercom voice replied with a happy twang to its tone.

Shaking his head Bakura leant forward, resting upon the back of Joey's chair as the pilot switched switches before gasping the controls tightly.

"We're just about to enter the Port air-space sir...and...we've been given permission to land in sector seven..."

"Down town and out of the way...good...good...just the way I like it."

"Oh and..." Joey thinned his eyes, gazing a beeping dial. "I believe the Ambassador is hailing us."

Bakura tipped back his hat, giving a delighted grin. He bent forward, pressing the dial.

"Hello my gorgeous!" Bakura spoke into the speaker. "How was your trip?"

"Went well enough, 'kura." The gentle voice replied, steady and heavily accented over the comlink.

Joey chuckled, flicking another few switches as the ship began to bounce from the planetary approach. "Be-jizza is she going to be surprised about what's happened with us..."

"Don't tell her yet," Bakura placed a hand upon Joey's shoulder, giving it a pat, "you know our Ambassador. Over reactive sort of lass. Clear her for docking. Yugi...are you alright with that shuttle docking into you?"

"Its fine Captain, nothing will have changed from your original Firefly." The reply came promptly.

"Thanks ship." Bakura nodded. He flicked back on the comlink. "Tea, darling, you're free to dock with us when you're in range. Ryou will meet you. He's missed you."

"I've missed him too. All of you."

"Glad to hear it, luv. I hope your got payed well!"

"Bakura Amir, do you think me incapable of doing a job to please my customers?"

Both Joey and Bakura shared a glance, pulling expressions at each other. A laugh came over the comlink, delightful and sweet.

"Oh, you two, I can imagine your faces right now! Yes, Bakura, I was payed well. I'll see you soon." The small light vanished.

Bakura realigned his hat, pulled at his long scarf and gave a happy twirl on his boots. "Put us down gently Joey, don't want our ship to get scratched. The new guy might go and have a heart-attack...poor chap's about as depressed as a door-nail."

"Well," Joey glanced around slightly from his chair, "wouldn't you be too, Captain? I mean...he's lost everything and he's in this...well...here and I'm sure it sucks for him."

"He's got his ship." Bakura shrugged. "And us to look after him. He'll make a good addition to the crew once he gets over his jitters..." The Captain swung out the cock-pit, thumping his way down the corridor back towards the cargo bay.

Tristan popped his head around a corner corridor, giving the Captain a wave. The weapons tech waved his hand pistol.

"Cap? This gonna be enough for our trip?"

"Ti'll be fine Tris," Bakura slandered past, clapping the man over the shoulder. Tristan had a homely face, he hardly appeared the kind of man who would have taken up a life of a gun-for-hire and yet, his prowess in a fight made up for the unscholarly behaviour he usually displayed. Tristan, behind his think brutish accent and scruffy hair, was cuddly.

Yes. Cuddly. A mercenary that a kid could hug. How fitting for their oddball crew.

"We're just seeing lovely ol' Duke to sniff out some possible jobs...then if we make some cash you can buy a bigger gun." Bakura offered, hoping it would be enough to entice.

The tall, dark haired mercenary grinned in delight, taking the bait.

Bakura rolled his eyes, waving a hand gaily in the air, under the man's nose. "A gun to you is like a busty woman."

"Always Captain."

"Whatever...get down to the cargo bay."

"Aye, aye Cap."

He jogged back into the cargo bay, taking a quick trip down a pole to land on the firm floor. Ryou darted up to him, giving a playful salute.

"Captain, reporting for duty."

"Good." Bakura ruffled the mechanic's head of hair, "Now, while I'm gone kitten, I want you to go outside and promote our ship for some paying customers."

Ryou pouted and gave a long whine. "Why can't Mai do it..."

"Because Mai scares people away, look at her, everything about her is scary...you, on the other hand, kitten...everything about you is soft and fluffy and inviting. So, find us some passengers!"

"Yes sir." Skipping away, grasping hold of his holo-pad Ryou headed towards the docking-bays doors, running diagnostics.

"I still haven't figured it out yet..." Yami startled the Captain, "What he is..." The new-arrival hooked a leg around a crate, propping himself up like a slinky. Bakura slipped off his wide-brimmed hat, slapping it down upon Yami's head as if finding a rack.

"He's proof the Alliance is sick and twisted..." Bakura twirled on his feet, taking a deep sip of his rum bottle. His keen, dark eyes watched Ryou scan the spec's in his hands as the holograms shimmered brightly across his pale white features. "He's a mutant. An experiment I believe; at least...it's what I've been able to figure out. He's a damned good mechanic to boot."

"He would have to be." Yami frowned thoughtfully, "Yugi does not allow just anyone to touch his silicon pads."

"I'm allowed to be anti-social sir." The voice echoed around the cargo-bay. "It is my right. You humans call it personal space. I, sadly, do not have that luxury, you're inside my personal space."

Bakura winced, "When you put it that way...terribly sorry for stepping all over you."

"On the contrary, sir," Yugi's voice replied with a chirp. "I am a ship, I would have no other function if I did not carry a crew within me."

"Soooo..." Bakura swung around a pole, gripping it tightly as the ship jostled and jolted in its none-too-smooth landing. He heard Ryou squeak, the mutant mechanic grabbing the nearest object to hold onto.

"You're okay being a mule then?" The Captain offered to the air.

By the tone of the ship's voice, Bakura could have sworn it would have come along with a human-shrug of no-fuss. "In all honesty, coming right out of a war-zone into flying around bearing stolen goods...feels rather like a vacation."

"Good to hear!" Grabbing Yami around the shoulders, hauling the poor man with him, the Captain practically skipped his way towards Mai and Ryou standing near the bolt-hanger doors.

"Touch down." Ryou flashed a grin. "Joey landed us safe and sound in sector seven, remember that please, Captain, so you don't get lost again in the hustle and bustle of the market...again..."

"Hey, I didn't get lost that time," Bakura snorted, "it was called a short-cut."

Ryou dead-panned the man with a glare. "Well don't try another short-cut, please...for my sake."

"Whatever you want, kitten."

"I highly doubt that." The mechanic gave a snort of distain.

Mai looked up from fitting her weapons pack around her waist. Yami glanced over the startling woman, dressed in leather, corset tight around the breasts while the cascading blond locks he knew existed had been bundled up high into a bun. She turned, watching as through one of the air-lock doors Joey swaggered in, leaping down the rickety metal stairs. Tristan joined the pilot a moment after, the two friends sharing the briefest of mirthful smiles.

Bakura cast his rum bottle at Joey. "You and your wife are staying with the ship and with Ryou-."

"What!" Mai stepped back. "But Captain, I always go-."

The Captain held up a hand, giving her a firm glare under the rim of his hat.

"Mai, darling, last time you and Duke met you threatened to cut off his private parts...a thing like that doesn't go down with a man like Duke. He'll remember it and it'll ruin the whole shebang."

Yami coughed a laugh into his hand. Mai raised an eyebrow at the new-comer.

"Think it's funny? He was talking to my chest, not my face, I don't like it when men talk to my boobs."

"But they're so pretty Mai." Ryou blinked in confusion, looking at the woman's lacy neck-lace of small looped baubles. The mutants tail frisked back and forth in play, eyes dilating in the hope the baubles would suddenly leap around for him to chase.

"No, Ryou, dear, boobs, not baubles." She smiled gently in his direction.

"Oh..." The white-haired creature blinked. "Oh, right, yes, I would very upset if anyone talked to my boobs too."

"You don't have any." Joey eyed him.

"As far as you know." Ryou smirked and ducked away with a cackling laugh, keeping under Bakura like a shadow.

"Joey, ignore him, he doesn't have any." Bakura waved a hand in front of the vacant staring pilot. Joey gave a breath of relief.

"Oh good. Sometimes I wonder..."

Bakura grabbed a handle and gave it a good shove. The crew turned slightly, all watching as the cargo-bay doors extended downward, opening slowly and with a soft, whining groan of unoiled parts.

Yugi's voice chirped. "Whoops, Ryou...I think you might need to oil my rear-end."

Ryou cracked a grin, "That's your department of affairs...didn't you stay it was like sweat-."

"Okay, you two...no more freaking me out with your chit-chat!" Bakura threw up his arms as the door finally landed firmly upon the ground with a clunk and clatter to become a ramp down into a busy market street of dust and desert.

Yami's lips spread in awe, ignoring the crew around him, his mind lost in the abrupt introduction of a new and entirely alien environment.

"By the Great Nebula..." The time-traveller choked, covering his mouth with a hand at the sudden intense swell of nauseating smells. Spices, rich and vibrant, filled his nostrils. He stepped backwards as if blinded by intense light.

Yugi's soft little voice whispered in his ear piece, bringing him back to solid grounding. "Will you be alright...?"

"Yes..." Yami gulped down saliva, tasting the new world outside as Bakura lead him down the ramp into a mess of a chaos stricken market place filled with every colour the universe had to offer. "Yugi...I'll be fine."

"Good." The ship's tone lulled calmness gently over his tense limbs, reminding him of his reality, that none of this was a dream. He was standing thousands of years into the future, in a solar-system far from Earth-that-was and this planet, the people, the sights, sounds and smells where all as real as his life had once been.

He shivered.

Bakura's hand touched his shoulder, giving it a momentary squeeze of reassurance, reminding him of the kind of grasp his Father had often given before a Commonwealth Gathering or a beginning battle.

"Don't worry ship." Bakura spoke to the air, "I'll bring him back, all safe and sound."

"You had better," the ship replied curtly, "it's your payment for stomping all over me."

Giving a chuckle Bakura tipped back his hat, giving Yami a firm shove between the shoulder-blades and without a glance back, headed into the hot, sticky mess of the brightly arrayed market. Tristan quickly jogged after them, giving a back handed wave to Joey.

The pilot sighed heavily. "Well, glad I'm not going!" He flashed a grin. "Duke is not my favoured slum-bag to tally with."

Mai snorted. "Easy for you to say, you never like leaving the ship..."

"Well," Joey rigged his thumbs through the buckles of his belt, "safest place to be, even safer now that we've got a war-ship posing as a Firefly model."

The military-woman had no answer, instead, she swung about on the heels of her shoes. "Ryou...weren't you supposed to be finding us paying passengers?" She called out, hands on hips as the mutant dashed up the rickety stairs.

"I will, I will, I will...I just want to see the Ambassador. I'll be back in a jiffy." His voice called out from beyond the doors. Mai shook her head, glancing towards her husband who was peering out under his blond hair at the faces within the market.

"Well, what are you waiting for...go do those calibrations while we're grounded." She huffed. Joey threw up his hands in mock horror.

"Alright, alright darling wife...jee...now you're all up tight because you got left behind."

"Yes!" The woman pointed a finger under his nose. "So don't cross me!" She swaggered off, a swing to her stride. Joey grinned at the sight, giving a long wolf-whistle that only earned him a thrown tool to his head.

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Ryou skipped over the wire-meshing off the corridor floors, ducking and weaving his way back towards the engine room. His tail was twitching in pure excitement. It had been more than a month since they'd seen the Ambassador, and he was evidently positive she was going to be delighted at the turn of events that had transpired.

"She'll just love you, Yugi!" Grabbing the handle to the engine-room door Ryou gave it a heavy spin and shove. The door swung open, revealing the white and blue interior of the ship's heart. Sitting atop the main-module, the android was perched, still decked out in the large white shirt.

"I still don't know who she is..." The ship replied and the android looked up, giving a warm smile in greeting.

Ryou leant upon the door-frame, holding out a hand. "Come on then, while everyone's busy!"

Like two boys with a sinful secret they shared a snaky grin as Yugi's slim, delicate fingers slid into Ryou's roughened hand, calloused from physical labour. They dashed through the corridors and up the flight of stairs towards the shuttle dock, laughing as they landed firmly on the upper-level beside the air-lock. Through a pot-hole the android peered into a dark interior, noticing shifting red curtains blocked his view of whatever lay within the shuttle that was not a part of his body. Though it was sure that if the shuttle remained attached to him long enough it would eventually end up infested with his liquid.

Ryou pressed the com-link button. "Tea! I'm here to see you! And I have a surprise!"

There was a pause before a voice crackled in reply, "Come in Ryou sweetie, the doors always open to you."

The mutant flashed a grin toward Yugi, "My finger-prints are in the computer...just mine and Mai's. The Captain has a terrible habit of bugging the Ambassador with practical jokes so she installed a new system...although," Ryou frowned in thought, "funny enough the Captain worked a way around it too."

"Wouldn't surprise me." The android's voice was unsteady. Reaching you Ryou grasped the avatar's body and held it upright.

"You alright?"

"Sorry...the calibrating it taking a bit of getting use to..."

"It'll get easier soon...you're still making neural-pathways. Keep replaying them, over and over, then it will form a natural flow of information."

Yugi nodded.

Pushing his full body weight onto the air-lock door to open it Ryou lead Yugi through into the small space between ship and shuttle. The mutant placed his hand upon a pad, a soft red light flickered over the appendage. A hiss sounded as a lock was released and the shuttle door slid open in welcome.

Yugi winced, stepping back at the sudden intrusion of an immensity of strange smells. A surge of panic made the walls of the ship shiver. Worriedly Ryou glanced to the android.

"Yugi?"

"Sorry...new smells. In my engine room, everything smells like me...sorry, that doesn't make sense."

"No, it does. Your avatar body is installed to be over-stimulated. Okay, try and imagine your android body like your ship-body...you have nerves, senses...all that's happening is you're getting the feedback more intense because you're actually in the environment and not a part of the environment."

Yugi nodded, giving a gulp of blue-liquid.

"Ryou? Who are you talking to?" The voice called out.

Ryou flashed a grin and grabbed Yugi's hand, dragging him through the air-lock. The mutant brushed through beads hanging down between the airlock doorway and the main room of the shuttle, stepping into a room lit by a low red light.

Yugi's eyes blinked rapidly, staring in awe at the beautiful fabrics, statues and ancient looking furniture scattered throughout the living courters. The bed in the centre of the wide round room was lavished in the most pristine of coloured blankets and brightly tinted silken pillows. Under his bare feet, the android could feel what his mind knew must have been a rug. He wiggled his toes, making a delighted nose in the back of his throat.

The air was heavy with the smell of the burning incense to one side, near a golden statue. Ryou skipped towards the bed, giving a twirl of his tail.

A delighted laugh, sweet and high-pitched caused Yugi to jerk around to watch as a startlingly beautiful human-woman slipped out of the cock-pit hidden by rows and rows of dangling beads. She was dressed in red silk, patterned with old-earth flowers; the gown cut deep like a corset into her chest and lavished the hour-glass figure of her waist and large hips.

The finely tuned camera lenses of his eyes picked up the lines of her thick make-up that sharpened her naturally rounded features. The short chop of her brown hair ended around her chin, but the bustling locks had been tied back and riddled with tiny flowers and jewels. She look heavenly rich, undoubtedly feminine and in that femininity she paraded power that would have overcome the best of men by sheer sexual attraction.

Yugi's brown furrowed, noticing Ryou was grinning at him. The mutant moved quickly, dashing up to the woman and hugging her tightly.

"Tea, you're safe."

"I always am safe Ryou, I have no idea why you worry about me."

"Your line of work, anything could happen."

The woman pulled away, her features softened as she brushed a hand through the mechanic's hair.

"You're almost as bad a worrier as the Captain."

"Piff," Ryou snorted, "the Captain is better."

The woman's green eyes shifted, moving towards Yugi still waiting just inside the entrance. She frowned in confusion.

"Ryou...who is..."

"Oh this! This is _Yugi Millennium_ and Yugi...this is Tea Anzu, our Ambassador..."

"I still do not understand the terminology of this phase Ryou." The android replied, voice beginning monotone before brightening into its usual accented twang.

"She's a professional Companion."

Yugi shook his head again, still not clear.

Ryou puffed out his cheeks.

"She's a whore." The mechanic quickly whispered the sentence. The androids mouth dropped, jerking towards the woman in confusion.

"You still have prostitution in the future!"

Ryous scratched a hand through his hair. "Tea caters for the...er...more up-class of our society."  
"Yes, thank you Ryou dear for giving my job description. It is a lot more complicated...but that is close enough my dear...alright...now that he knows what I do, who is he?"

Ryou gave a sheepish twirl of his tail. "Well, it is more along the lines of...what is he, not who is he..." The mechanic grinned. "And he is not really a he but more of an it..." Ryou shrugged. "You've always wanted a doll to dress up right?" The mutant leapt back towards Yugi and shoved the android forward.

With a single swipe the mechanic pulled off the large over-shirt the avatar wore. "Well, I give you one who is willing. Lady Tea I would like to you meet our glorious ship, _Millennium Yugi_ and this...this is his walking, talking, functioning liquid-formed humanoid avatar…made by me!"

Tea's eyes widened and she stepped back a pace. "By the gods...Ryou..."

"I made him!" Ryou's chest puffed out slightly in pride. "He is the avatar of our new ship!"

The woman hadn't appeared to have heard him quite right. She spluttered. "Our new what?"

"Long story...has to do with that whole thing the Captain was going on about for months..."

"The ship-from-old-Earth stuck in that black-hole! He found it...oh...my...well, only Bakura could pull that off..." Tea strolled forward, reaching Yugi and gazing over him thoughtfully, studying the beautiful contours of the slim, smooth robotic form. She reached out, picking up a hand and playing her fingers through his. Yugi gave a small smile at the smooth, physical touch of the woman. She must have used creams to keep her skin plush and soft, though he doubted it was as soft as his own new liquid flesh.

"I'm rather new at this..." Yugi wrinkled his brow.

"You, my dear...would put me out of a job." The companion gave a delighted laugh, riddled with confusion.

"You were not kidding when you said doll." Tea glanced again over almost porcelain looking android before turning to Ryou, "Alright, you have my attention, I'll dress him for you...what gender do you want to be?" She looked back to the android.

"Pardon?" Yugi raised both eyebrows in confusion.

"Man or a woman?"

"Er...I'm a ship, I don't have a gender...I...it's...never been programmed into me...I have qualities of both sides so that I can relate to anyone I come in contact with. It was a proven advantage in my field of work…people are uncomfortable around AI's and it is best not to threaten men or women. Humans can be rather nasty."

"Yes, we can be." Tea laughed softly, "Alright...well, I'll see what I can do and match you somewhere in between, I often have to that myself, depending on my clients tastes. While I'm working...Ryou, tell me what by the galaxy has happened?"

Ryou's tail twirled, "Oh...you wouldn't believe it!"

"Try me, darling, try me...but please tell me our dashing Captain hasn't got himself into trouble again..."

"Well, not really...but you know our Captain! Oh, but Tea! Its wonderful, we have a living-ship! Look...isn't his avatar beautiful!"

"He'll be more so when I'm finished with him. We'll make a china-doll worth selling to the gods."

Yugi sensed his processor core whirling as he felt the stares of both mechanic and companion settle upon him. Suddenly he felt entirely bare and naked. Here in this shuttle, this strange alien environment, where he had no control over anything, he felt tiny and so very much like the doll Ryou said he was.

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_Hope you enjoyed it. _

_Thanks for reading,_

_No,_

_Really,_

_Thank you :D You all make the writing worthwhile folks! _

_Cheers until next time._

_Keep well okay, _

_See you again soon!_


	3. Episode 3: Android

_So, things are not boding well with my publishers at the moment. I have a sinking feeling I may even get my contract booted if don't tread carefully the next week or so. Yup. Harsh reality but a learning experience none-the-less. To come this close to almost having the book printed, to have all this work ready and to end up having to put up shields in defence, to feel so much fear, well…I feel like crud. _

_However, learning experience. _

_I'm hoping for the best outcome :) Whatever that may be. _

_This update is for *babylight29* who poked me about Millennium Yugi in a PM and thus reminded me that I had an almost finished chapter sitting around! Sometimes all I need is a bit of a nice poke, so if you happen to want a chapter/story updated someone remind me. I am so busy I always forget that stories are enjoyed or are sitting in my computer half written :D _

_So Thanks babylight29, I hope this update is to your liking! _

_For those who are wondering in what direction this story is going to be taking—I had really planned this story as an exploration into the concept of the idea 'could a machine/robot experience the emotion/feeling of love/devotion' so that is the basis of the story as a whole. Thus there is a relationship between the Android Yugi and Yami but it really depends on how you interpenetrate the concept of relationship as a whole (which is why I started writing the story in the first place). As an author (and you will find this in my published work as well, and in all my writings) I really like to leave the interpretation of a story up to the reader. I'm just singing the song, playing the notes, everyone else is hearing the music to their own liking. _

_I like to write things that invoke thought, because writing to me is processing thoughts, however I really love leaving room for readers to have their own place in the story. So if you see a character, setting, relationship, entirely different from how I see it, or someone else sees it, I honestly believe that is the perfection of the human imagination.  
_

_On that note, I hope you enjoy the update, and if you ever find anything of thought in any of my writings, don't ever hesitate to pop me a line :D _

_And always remind me to update, because seriously, I actually do forget ^^; Cause I'm writing so many things outside of fanfiction…_

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**Episode 03 – Android**

He could taste it, it was new. How lusciously it lingered in the air, the smell of intense spices burning his nostrils. Then there was the heat of a sun upon his bare neck, it had been months since he had felt such a delightful trace of sweat on his skin. The touch of rough fabric of unwashed citizens as they brushed past him was like being shoved against tree bark, but it was enough to tell him he was alive and everything around him was real.

The bright colours of bazaars flared in the sunlight, mixed in with the beautiful shine of jewelled glass strung into beads. It appeared every manner of things that could be sold was being sold. A mass market. Bakura lead them on a rather twirling kind of journey deeper into the mess of chaos. The Captain's eyes, Yami figured, never seemed to rest entirely upon one thing for more than a few seconds, it as if the man could gauge everything and its threat almost instantaneously.

"Hey..." Tristan caught Yami's shoulder and the time-traveller twisted around to view the taller, brawnier mercenary. "When we meet to Duke, try not to talk okay...let the Captain say everything...Duke will try to get you to talk but ignore him."

"Why?"

"Because he wants to trick you into working for him and not Bakura. He did it to me too...so...just warning you. The guy is a snake but he gets us good work."

Hesitantly Yami nodded. Tristan gave him a firm slap over the shoulder, near sending him off his feet at the force, "Don't worry! You'll be fine."

"Ah...thanks..." He gulped weakly, touching a hand to ear as if fingering the invisible implant, wishing suddenly that he did not have to feel so very naked without the presence of his ship near him.

"Yugi...can you...hear me?"

_I'm here, Yami...but possibly best if you don't freak people out by talking to thin air... _

The hurried, rushed voice of the ship was for some reason out-of-breath sounding, which was an oddly strange way of ever hearing the delightful vessel's voice. Even in the middle of space-battles Yugi's voice had never sounded out of beat.

_You're going to be fine, sir...if anything happens I'll pick up your distress and blow a hole through the planet, fair?_

The young man gave a small, attentive smile as Bakura lead them around a small side-street, filled with fluttering prayer flags dangling down between the rickety, pieced together shacks.

"Thanks, Yugi..."

_I am here to serve..._

The voice vanished, leaving a whisper in his ear piece, a residual echo the time-traveller could almost feel as an imprinted pat on his head. Here to serve. How strange that he had never once thought of the ship that had chosen him as Captain in such a manner. All his time fighting, shouting orders, saving lives and never once had he heard a high-official praise any of the living-ships. They were machines, they did as they were programmed to do but was that truth. Had he somehow missed something.

Whatever that something was he could not put his finger upon it.

But the words lingered.

Yugi would always be there to serve.

His arm was suddenly grabbed, Bakura dragging him to the side, barely missing the turning wheel of a mammoth rolling tractor rumbling down the market street. Yami blinked away dust, startled at the sheer size of the machine bearing the weight of old ship parts for trading.

"Careful time-traveller," Bakura peered out from under his wide-brimmed hat. "You've only got one life. Come on, this way." Hooking Yami under his arm Bakura dragged the man down a tight alley way, smelling just faintly of distasteful urine. Yami wrinkled his nose, wishing suddenly that he was back within the clean confines of his courters and not in the flea infested dirty hidey-holes of space-scum. A shambled together shanty came into view, a sign dangling from the door that both Tristan and Bakura where going to have to duck to fit under. Two heavy built men stood at the entrance, chin's thrust out and brawny arms crossed. Swaggering up to them Bakura gave a mock salute.

"Morning boys! Cap'in Bakura Amir here to see your boss! Can you tell him his dearly beloved partner in crime is standing out here in someone else's body fluids and if I don't get inside in three minutes I'm walking."

The Captain gave a grumpy pout, waving a hand in the air in a dismissal action as one of the guards ducked into the entrance. A few long strained minutes passed before the second guard gave them a motion.

"You may enter."

Bakura tipped his hat, "Thank you, good sir." He patted the man's chest as he entered with a skip, "Great job you're doing, looking very threatening and all! Keep it up!"

Yami raised an eyebrow, taking a glance to Tristan who gave a smirk. The weapons tech gave the young man a small shove in the back and Yami quickly followed Bakura.

The shanty had been shambled together out of iron and tin, moulded into distorted shapes of what was trying to be a home and an office. Yami wrinkled his nose; sure he smelt the sticky sweet smell of a drug-lab. His shoulders tightened as his heavy-welder muscles began to coil for a moment's action.

His combat training had been intense and in the heat of battle he had always maintained a level head but this was different to fighting a war within the confines of a living war-ship. The few ground crusades he had participated in had always been under the command of his father and those battles had been fought with shambled together rebels.

This was different. This was like a taste of adrenalin he had always been lacking, the wonderful danger of living on the edge of reality. Yami smiled, feeling his fingertips tingle as they stepped into a small room, attired up to look vaguely like a posh office space.

Behind a large wooden desk a man was perched back in a mammoth black chair, the whiffs of the cigar he was smoking pooling at the ceiling like a mist. Yami fought back the desire to cough, the smell throwing him back to the days he had wandered into his father's office on the _King Solomon_.

"Duke!" Bakura threw his arms wide, causing his large brown coat to expand, revealing the weapon he had hoisted around his hips. "Why is it every time I come here you're sitting like a damned king while us hard working blokes do all the shin-kicking."

"It is called the food-chain." The slick smooth voice matched the man it came from. Stubbing out the cigar Duke dusted away the ash with fingers decked in rings. His hair was raven black, pulled aside in a delicate, pampered manner.

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "How far up on it are you, cause if I recall I am the one with a ship and you're still stuck here with your feet shackled to the ground, you land-lover. I'm surprised the Alliance Cops haven't sniffed you out yet."

Giving a shrug of his shoulders Duke tipped his head up, revealing the gleam of bright green eyes that smirked dangerously. "I avoid their nets well enough for a shackled man, Bakura…so…"

Yami flinched as the green eyes settled upon him for a brief moment and a chill trickled down his spine at the cold, black stare of a soulless man.

"Where is the lovely Lioness? I was looking forward to her fulfilling her threat…"

"Mai and her boobs give their regards." Bakura slapped his hands upon the desk, "Now I need a job."

Duke folded his ringed fingers together, his lips slipping into a thoughtful pout. "Oh, Bakura honey…I don't think I have any jobs for you right now…you see, last time I gave you a job…do you remember what happened?"

"It ain't my fault your men spoiled the merchandise," Bakura snarled sharply. "We held up our end of the job, your stupid cows didn't."

The click of a gun being drawn tickled Yami's ear and he sensed the movements from behind as both Bakura and Tristan swept up their own weapons, pointing them at the nearest men suddenly bearing readied arms at the white haired Captain.

Duke gave a sleek smile at Bakura, reaching out and gently rubbing a finger and thumb over the Captain's scarred knuckles. "Honey, you should know not to insult my friends-."

"Touch me again, Duke, and I will blast your brains from your skull. You give us a job or I will take my services someplace else…and you will lose of the only insane crews stupid enough to do some of your runs."

Duke's stark green eyes shifted slightly under the gloss of his oiled fringe. A brush of wind from a swift movement was the only warning Bakura felt as the butt of a pistol was thrown his way.

Yami moved, snagging the arm of the large guard and stalling it with a crushing twist of his wrist. He threw up his knee, knocking the wind from the man and turning him to slam him firmly into the ground. With a hiss Yami pressed his shoe deep into the man's neck, blocking air from his wind-pipe.

"Careful," Yami whispered, "I'm a heavy-worlder, my weight is twice yours and I carry it very easily…if I press down just a bit, I will shatter your neck, so I would stay very-very still."

Bakura blinked, staring blankly at him.

"Sir? Do you wish for me to kill him?" Yami glanced through his blond fringe at the Captain.

"If you don't, I will." Duke slowly stood from his seat behind his desk.

Yami released the man's throat, turning away and moving back towards a pale faced Tristan. A resounding clapping brought Bakura back into the reality of the situation, Duke's delicate fingers slapped together and the slick man gave a delighted laugh.

"Alright Bakura, you have your job…I am in need of a cargo ship to do a run for me on the Outer-Rim." Moving to sought through a file of draws to the corner of the room Duke flicked back his black hair, turning with a snaked smile and passing the holographic pad to Bakura. "You know the route between Diltisa and Hine…you deliver the cargo from Diltisa to Hine and the cut will be half."

Not bothering to glance at the information Bakura pursed his lips, "Half?"

"You wanted a job."

"You are a bitch, Duke."

"I will take that as a compliment…oh and…" The man touched a long nailed finger to his cheek, "Your new dog…I like him."

Bakura turned sharply, "Well he's mine and you're not getting your slimy fingers on him so jizza-off you hag."

Slowly Duke settled back into his mammoth chair, eyes sparkling in delight at the game. He waved a hand and the men stationed around the men slid away, bearing their wounded comrade with them. Bakura pocketed the holographic pad into his jacket, taking care to reveal the twin pistols around his waist and the knives strapped tight to his thighs.

"I hope you rot here." The Captain hissed, moving to the door.

"Lovely to see you too, Bakura honey."

Rolling his eyes Bakura shoved Yami first out the door and into the glow of the sunlight. Without words they vanished back down the alleyway, heading to the sound of the busy market place once more. Yami shuffled in the dust underfoot, his hands quivering from the adrenalin still fresh in his blood stream. The smooth eyes of the strange man, eerie and green, still felt fresh on his skin and he gave a shiver, wishing the horrible crawling sensation would leave.

"Don't worry," Bakura offered, "Duke evokes that kind of feeling in most people, I swear he's got The Gift. He is a slimy leech but he is damned good at finding jobs." The Captain tipped back his hat, "He is always looking for new toys…I'm going to have to teach you how not to impress the guys you shouldn't impress."

Contorting his brow Yami looked between Tristan and the Captain. "I don't understand, should I not have made a move on the man who threatened you?"

"No, you where epic…" Bakura waved a hand, "But men like Duke are the kind who…well…let's just say…aren't below human trafficking and you're the kind of healthy male needed in this galaxy. So, stick close to Tris or me for a while, until you can sniff the good from bad, my new dog." The Captain ruffled Yami's hair, giving a chuckle as he twisted away with a yelp.

"So, boss," Tristan twirled his pistol playfully, "what's the job?"

Bakura's eyebrows lifted under his hat and he pulled free the holographic pad, glancing over it briefly. "Hmmm, hey…Yami…can _Millennium Yugi_ manoeuvrer around asteroids?"

"You've got to be kidding me! Asteroids…how in hell did your last Firefly survive?"

"Joey's the best pilot!" Tristan grinned.

Bakura slapped the mercenary over the head. "Don't praise him, he'll hear you and his ego will fly to awing heights."

"But…sir…he's not here-."

"Shhh! You never know, he could have followed us!" Flapping his arms Bakura started down the alley.

Yami raised an eyebrow, glancing to Tristan. "Err…he's not drunk right?"

"I swear the Cap can get drunk on oxygen." Tristan gave a sigh.

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Ryou twirled his brightly coloured umbrella, allowing his foot-paws to sink into the dusty hot soil of the shipyard docks, littered with the crowd of travellers from distant worlds all thronging between the mammoth shapes of iron rusted space-ships. In the shade of _Millennium Yugi's _shadow he had set up his small chair and lounged back elegantly, watching acutely the horde that moved past in an ever swelling river. Having left his newly designed android in the capable hands of their Ambassador his job was now to perform the task given to him by the Captain; find suitable passengers, who had money to pay. His ears twitched backward, lying flat on his head as he spied through the dust, kicked up by horses, a youthful monk. He dressed in the colourful bright oranges and yellows of his order, wandered lethargically through the mingling horde, looking wide-eyed at the awing sights of the enormous vessels docked across the ship-yard.

Licking his lips to spread moister back over them Ryou eased himself forward on his seat.

The young man could not have been any older his mid-twenties; with features still fresh enough and unwrinkled enough to gage his unworldliness but his eyes, an unmistakable bright lavender, was only ever seen in the breed of humans who lingered too close to the White Dwarf Sun in sector Eighteen. Just that simple sign alone was enough to understand why the strength in his limbs was visible through the soft fabric of his travel worn habit.

Despite his youth, the monk was not one in whom to be tallied with. He had lived under an old Sun, and learnt well the meaning of danger. He was, maybe, far older than he looked.

Ryou felt his tail curl in delight and with a bound he leapt off his seat.

"Did God call you out of your Monastery, brother?" Ryou tipped his head playfully to one side, twitching an ear as he brilliantly smiled toward the passing young man. The stark blond hair did not match the deep brown of the sun-kissed skin of the monk. His travels had obviously ruined the fresh-white undertone of skin his breed of humanity was known for.

The monk propped himself up elegantly upon the handle of his small trolley of worldly goods and brushed aside the desert worn frazzles of his fringe to spy a sight of the mutant approaching him, back dropped by the gigantic vessel, docking doors wide open as if in silent invitation.

"God honestly didn't have anything to do with it; it was actually my dear sister. She has a thing about tough love."

Ryou wrinkled his nose, bending forward and peering at the golden bangles and jewels dangling free from the young man's wrists, neck and ears. "You're an odd looking monk."

"You're an odd looking…something."

Giving a laugh Ryou shrugged his shoulders, "I'm the mechanic of this fine ship you see behind me! We're looking for passengers and you look like you need a ride."

The monk glanced over the rusted, battle weary vessel, pursing his lips.

"It looks like a bucket put together with bolts."

Ryou shook his head, his white hair dancing at the movement. "Oh it's a mighty fine ship, I assure you." He spun his umbrella, using his free hand to encompass the view of the ship behind them. "I know it doesn't look like much, but the _Millennium Yugi_ will take you where you wish to go..."

"To be honest, I have no destination..." The monk took up the handle of his trolley to begin to stroll, "So I am sorry, I doubt I am the right man for you...wait..." He paused, just as Ryou's ears were dropping in dejection, and suddenly turned abruptly to face the mechanic. "What did you call the ship?"

Blinking confusion for a moment, before becoming hesitant Ryou quickly whispered the name.

"_Millennium Yugi..."_

"You called the ship after an old-earth fairy-tale?" The monk chortled in personal delight. "Ironic...alright, you know what...I'm going to go out on a limb here and accept your offer."

Ryou's face lit up and he grabbed the monks hand, slightly surprised at the strength behind the grasp he felt as the chocolate brown fingers curled around his soft white skin. "Well then, welcome aboard! I'm Ryou!"

"Malik." The monk shrugged, "Just Malik will do."

"Oh how splendid, we haven't had a Preacher on-board before!" Seizing the monk's trolley of small boxes Ryou dragged it towards the open bay doors. "Oh…wait…ah…can you…pay?"

Giving a small smirk Malik pointed to his golden earing. "I can pay." He bent down, pulling free a small golden box from amongst the visible fresh fruits and vegetables covered in rags.

"Think this will do?" He held out the intricately designed box, covered in ancient designs that glistened in the sunlight.

Ryou carefully took the golden container, his eyes shining at the beautiful shine. With clawed nails he glossed his fingers over the design of an eye embedded into the carvings. His chest inflated and he nodded. "I think so." Quickly he pocketed the box into the wide sleeves of his gown.

"Are those strawberries?"

"Yep."

"Welcome aboard!" Ryou spread his hands.

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There had been many times that it had watched Yami roll out of bed and tug on his military uniform, the young man mumbling about how much he despised the high-class getup. Yugi pursed its lips, sensing the pull of fabric between its arm-pits as it slowly lowered its arms to rest at its side in a natural stance. As an artificial intelligence it had been fascinated by the concept of attire; that humans needed to dress themselves to cover skin, to pretty their forms and for some it had even seen how little amounts of clothing gained more attention. It had been all together confusing for it highly logical mind that could not understand the concept due to its restrictions as a living-ship.

"I suppose, I just have to imagine it is…like wearing an outer-shield?" Its voice's rhythm was still trying to work through the new liquid voice-box and the echoing, metallic twang was still rich in its accent.

The woman doting on it looked up from turning the cuffs of its long sleeves up around its wrists.

She smiled, "That is a good way to see it." Standing to her full height, which dwarfed the small android, Tea brushed her hands upon her silken gown, giving a delighted clap as she admired her work.

"Perfect! You're like a porcelain-doll!"

Yugi studied the lines of her face as they revealed tiny micro-expressions and it made its android smile in reply to her glee. Its eyelids blinked as her hands touched its shoulders, turning itself around to face the burnished surface of a mirror. For a moment its visual stimuli was overloaded at the sudden influx of information. In the polished gloss was a lean figure, clothed in the silken and leather outfit patterned in what looked like moons and stars in tiny little silver dots. The blues of the textiles matched the district shine of its android liquid skin and the hue that riddled its fuzzy hair.

Tea crouched down, finishing a final buckle on the knee-high, iron heeled boots.

"These boots I received after my first night as a Companion…"

"They are of sentimental value to you, I cannot wear them." Yugi made to bend down.

"No, no, they suite you much better…now, I'll try and make you up a couple more outfits so you don't have to wear the same boring thing each day and maybe you can come shopping with Ryou and me on Sector Eights High-Balconies! The most astounding Mall in the whole quadrant!"

"I would like that…" Yugi flicked back the hair hanging in its vision, a motion it had seen Yami often display. Tea moved around the courters of the shuttle, putting away the gear she had pulled out. The elegant young woman moved like a panther and Yugi tipped its head to one side, extending a foot slowly to mimic her actions.

"How do you walk like that…"

"I was taught too, all Companions go through years of training." Pulling free a scarf Tea lopped it around her bare shoulders.

"So it is like a trained profession." Yugi mused, "Do you enjoy your job?"

"It makes the money…and I do…get to meet a lot of interesting people." She held out a hand and Yugi took it, feeling the skin that was almost as silken as its own though it was sure she laboured to keep hers so moist.

"Yes, I enjoyed that about my work too, people are fascinating."

She led it to a seat and it sat down, frowning at the feeling of the new clothing pulling at its skin. It shook aside the odd sensation, knowing that soon its highly stimulated state would settle as its mental processing became accustomed to the physical manifestations of a body.

"So, you were telling me that you and your Captain, Yami…right?"

Yugi nodded.

"You were trapped between an Armada of enemy ships and a black-hole and your Captain thought it would be a grand idea to run through the centre of the black-hole."

"Yes," clasping its knees Yugi flicked the camera lenses of its eyes quickly around the room before allowing them to settle upon the Ambassador again, marking each of her movements and forming algorithms for them all to slot them beside those it had studied from Ryou. "Yami thought it was the only way to get me away from the Trans…I think after so long of fighting a war he really did not understand being betrayed and turned upon by our own people was the last straw. We had both dedicated out lives to establishing the Commonwealth…but…now it does not matter, it is almost as if that was the dream and this is the real world." It touched the leather of the couch under it, feeling its astounding texture with the pads of its fingers. For it, far more than for Yami, this world of the future was indeed far more real than anything it had ever thought possible.

"Your Yami sounds like a delightful fellow, I hope he and the Captain don't clash heads…" Passing a china cup to it Tea sat upon the plush surface of the couch. It watched her sip her own tea.

"To be honest, I think Yami is glad to give up command to someone else, he's tired of giving orders." Staring at the strangely smelling content of the china cup Yugi lifted it to its lips and carefully sipped, mirroring her actions.

It gasped, "That's astounding…it…it has taste…what is that taste, do I have to come up with a program for taste too?"

"Apple and cinnamon." Tea set her cup upon the table, "I find it calms the nerves of some of my client's if it is their first session."

"It's amazing."

"I am sure you'll be finding many things amazing from this point on, _Millennium Yugi_. I think it is a true blessing the Captain pulled you and your companion free of the black-hole. Here," her fingers touched its hand, bringing the palm up as though she was silently studying the lines and groves, "I foresee you having many adventures…adventures of freedom and discovery."

"I hope so," Yugi whispered.

"Darling," Tea winked, "I know so. Now come, finish your tea…and tell me more about how you can morph into a Firefly! I honestly couldn't tell any difference when I docked…and how does it work being a living-ship, do you feel all the crew inside you or can you kind of, shut it all off? You must tell me everything!"

Yugi found its chest rising and falling and it realised suddenly that it was laughing. The sound was like the chiming of a bell pinging off its liquid lungs, enough of an oddity to have startled Tea who's own laughter joined after a few bewildered moments. Yugi touched its chest, sensing its philepcon mind sparking and collecting new data-ways to store what had to be new emotions.

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The moment Yami spotted the shape of the Firefly over the ship-yard his feet felt lighter on the soil. His obvious serenity was noticed by Bakura who gave a chuckle at his near-hop-skip towards _Millennium Yugi_.

"Hey, its not like it wasn't going to be there when we got back." The Captain wove between a horse and cart, missing the whizzing of an anti-gravity car by a hairs-breath. Yami thinned his red eyes, still adapting to the odd sight of advanced technology intermingled with the simplistic use of a wheel and yet the space-ships, with their decaying hulls all patch-worked together almost looked natural amongst the oxen-drawn carts and horse-carriages. It was all a far-cry from the glistening white skyscrapers and clean cities of his home, where the horizon had been clear and never-ending.

"I know, I know." Yami smiled as they approached _Millennium Yugi's_ open docking-bay.

A tall young man, looking entirely out of place within the riffraff of the dirty markets by wearing a suite of near velvet silk, was overseeing Joey's manoeuvring of a crate into the cargo-bay. Yami raised an eyebrow at the strange young man, his shoulders pinned back in the same manner he himself had been taught as a child.

"Good, good." Bakura slapped his hands together, "Ryou got us some paying passengers. Our luck is looking up."

"Captain, good, you're back…we should start thinking of clearing off." Mai's high-heeled boots made a soft tap upon the metal of the bay-ramp as she strutted towards them. "And thank goodness, you brought Yami back in one piece."

"Sure I brought him back in one piece. Sheesh…" Bakura rolled his eyes as Mai gave Yami a firm pat of assurance.

"Glad to see you survived Duke."

"I can see your problem with him." Yami frowned darkly. "He has the slimy…snaky kind of vibe. Are you sure he is the best option for a job."

"Sometimes," Bakura wrinkled his nose, "you don't have a choice. The Great Black Space ain't kind to all." He slid his hands deep into the pockets of his brown jacket, walking through the cargo-bay, glancing at the odd crate and the well-dressed man worriedly hovering over it.

"Well said, my dear Captain."

Bakura froze from his assent of the stairs, his left eye twitched at the smooth voice and he spun on his heels to stare across the docking-bay towards the elegant woman standing in a dark doorway leading to the courters. The robust contours of her frame were practically carved out by the red folds of her dress, bound around her breasts to leave bare her shoulders. She looked out of place in the rusty confines of the ship, appearing far more stately and born for the high-class.

"Ambassador!" Throwing open his arms Bakura thumped back down the stairs, "You have once again graced us with your divine presence!"

"Bakura, darling, I sadly cannot seem to get rid of you."

"Pheh," the Captain slapped his hands upon his hips, giving a girlish strut, "Because you're just sooo much better than all of us."

The woman gave a delighted laugh at the man's antics, her soft brown eyes glancing over the crew. Her eyes fell upon Yami's hiding partly behind Joey.

"And who is this new face, Captain."

"Oh…this is a stray I picked up. He's a bit useless at the moment, but he'll get the hang of things." Bakura motioned to Yami, "Yami, this is our Ambassador, Tea Anzu."

"You're an Ambassador?" Yami felt his body snap into the usual rigid stance he had been trained in whenever the word was whispered. He heard Tristan give a snigger at his action and frowned in confusion that no one else in the crew appeared to be giving the beautiful woman any airs-and-graces. Her glossed lips spread into a warm smile of greeting.

"I've been hearing all about you, Atemu …though apparently you like to be called Yami, am I right?"

"Ah…yes..."

_She's a prostitute sir. _Yugi's voice whispered in his ear suddenly, _they call them Companions; it's like a holy-order of earthly gods, goddesses and high-priestesses and priests. It is utterly fascinating! They're women and men trained for one simple purpose…to bring pleasure to others. She is very nice, she kept me company._

Yami's shoulders relaxed only to tense once more as her hand took his own. "Don't mind the crew's nick-name for me, my job takes me too many places and I meet many important people thus Ambassador has stuck."

"It is an honour to meet you, milady." Yami inclined his head. "Thank you for keeping my friend company." He hoped she knew what he meant by the subtle words and by the lifting of her brows she had.

"Your friend is a very unique…well…a very unique mind."

Bakura shoved between them flamboyantly, "Great, so you've met the whore…now…lets meet the tag-a-longs Ryou's picked for us. Apparently we have a Wayist Monk…so…Tea…no fooling around with the Preacher!"

Tea rolled her eyes, following the Captain with her chin lifted slightly in the air, "Honestly, Bakura, I don't randomly decide to jump every man or woman I see."

"Could have fooled me, honey." The Captain's voice vanished into the corridors of the ship. "Cause boy do I remember that night we first met!"

"Bakura!" she wailed.

Smiling at the jesting Yami moved to follow, hearing the whirling of Yugi's appliances shift and grind as the cargo-bay doors began to ease themselves closed. He touched a wall, giving it a gentle pat and as he paused his eyes caught the oddly shaped crate being pushed into place alongside the supplies for their trip.

The large grey box gave off a soft whirling, inner mechanisms within it buzzing with life. The tall young man silently checking the hologram on the side of the crate suddenly glanced up and Yami raised an eyebrow.

The aristocratic gent held a stoic expression. He had been blessed with the clearest of blue eyes, stark and sharp, yet within them Yami saw only a hard pain. The glum expression and shackled movements hid what had to be emotional scars.

_He looks like a war-veteran. _Yugi's voice whispered through his ear-piece. _It's…as if he's gone through something really terrible and he can't hold it inside anymore…he's going to burst!_

"Indeed."

_Why do humans do that?_

"We're a strange lot, my dear ship." Yami turned, giving the wall a pat. "More stranger than you'll ever know."

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Bakura nibbled at the slice of bread. It was always nice to make port and have fresh-bread. He glanced over the papers Ryou shoved into his vision, the mechanic dashing to a seat and leaping onto it before Tristan could claim it.

"Joey's taking us out of orbit, we've got clearing to go." Mai turned a seat around, collapsing into it and leaning her hands over its sides. "So, three paying travellers, a nice little piece of work their Ryou."

"Thank you!"

"Will we get actually get some money off them?" Tristan wrinkled his nose, taking a sip of his pint.

"Yep." Bakura slapped down the papers, "The rich looking fella has cargo too, and he's not being scungy about his money either, he's paying top dollar…"

"And the other guy?" Yami stole the papers from the Captain, giving them a quick glance over.

"He's just a merchant." Bakura shrugged, "Wanting a quick trip." He watched Ryou dump the first payload upon the table, the golden coins shimmering in the light of the common-rooms main globe. Tristan's eyes lit up at the sight of the wonderful funds. Mai slapped his hand aside, making the mercenary pout.

Yugi's hologram flickered on beside Yami, scattering pixels for a moment before it reshaped itself. It raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, "And the man with the colourful robe on, what is he? His eyes are a funny colour…I have no record of his kind of human-breed in my data-base."

"He's a Wayist Monk, they come from a planet very close to a white-dwarf star." Mai looked to the hologram, "They have adapted to their living conditions, the Alliance consider them an entirely new breed of humans and they are not well treated for that either."

Yami frowned. "Like a heavy-welder…back home, in my time, my people were seen as only cousins to those who were still born on Earth. Many of those in the Rebellion where heavy-welders…my father was one of the few who remained with the Commonwealth."

"Wayists are a bit like that I suppose," Bakura shrugged, "They see things other humans don't…those in the Outer-Rim learn to respect them pretty quickly. The guy might look young, but I assure you, he isn't as young as he looks or claims to be. Ryou…what did the monk offer as payment? A gold plated bible?" Bakura tapped the table top, glancing over the funds, seeming to calculate them within his mind thoughtfully.

"Ah..." Ryou's eyes lit up, "Yes, yes, he paid...however...I'm unsure as to what price this will fetch us..." The mechanic shuffled around in the pocket of his large overalls and pull out a golden box. In his seat Yami froze.

It was a slender box, cryptograms scattered over its surface, glistening oddly in the interior light. A singular eye shined forth from the centre of the surface, crafted into the gold expertly. Ryou pulled off the lid, revealing that inside lay the broken pieces of what could have only been a three-dimensional-puzzle.

Bakura pouted, taking the offered artefact and turning it around in his hands. "Weird…"

Suddenly Yami snatched it from him, rather rudely too. "Heavens above! Have you any idea what this is?!" He spluttered, holding the small golden box and the scattered pieces within tightly to his chest.

"Is it worth much?" Tristan looked up from his plate of food suddenly.

Yami rolled his eyes. "Worth much? This...this is one of the Millennium Items! I only ever saw them from a distance. Seven of them...it was my aim to get one." Carefully he placed it upon the table, soothing it tenderly, "A High-Captain of a Millennium Class liquid-vessel…A couple more years Yugi and we would have made it after your Grandfather retired…"

Yugi gave a laugh, "I doubt your father and my grandfather would have handed over the Puzzle without a good fight."

"We would have given it to them! We would have won!"

"Err…" Tristan pulled away from his chair, "grandfather?"

"Yes, my grandfather..." Yugi's shifted slightly, its expression becoming all-together sorrowful, "the _King Solomon_..."

"Ships don't have grandfathers?" Bakura snorted.

The hologram nodded, "It is a figure of speech. I was a second generation down from the_ King Solomon_, so technically he is like my grandfather. If you desire to define things in human terminology and humans like to equate everything through their eyes." Yugi smiled sadly.

"Did you have a...I don't know...a...father?" Bakura leant forward, eyeing the hologram.

The hologram fizzed, scowling darkly. The lights of the room flickered, dimming into a dull, red glow of anger. "If you must know...there was a prototype before me...but that ship went insane and destroyed a space-station. _The Pegasus_ practically started the Nova Wars…millions of lives were lost. I was built to defeat it, which I never had the chance of doing, considering it flew into a Sun. Choosing suicide over combat was a disgrace to being a living-ship." The hologram gave a disgusted twist of its chin. It suddenly vanished

Bakura noted the look in Yami's eyes, indicating the communication between the ship and the time-traveller. It was ever so creepy, not that he was going to get between them, but it _was_ creepy.

"The Wayist Monk is coming." Yugi repeated for them all, mostly for him Bakura figured, since he was the new Captain. Bakura nodded in thanks, giving Mai a motion to gather the funds.

The woman poured the gold into a box, taking it with her as she left. A moment later the Wayist Monk stepped through the hatch, looking at the small gathering around the table.

"Hello folks," he waved, "I was just wondering if you required a cook? I make really good meals and I thought I'd offer some service while I'm on-board."

Bakura stood to his feet, motioning to the small kitchen, "Sure, knock yourself out. Ryou, give the Priest a hand will you…come on Yami…got a few things to touch-base with you."

Still clutching the golden box to his chest Yami slowly stood, giving Malik a small incline of his head as he ducked out of the hatch. The monk smiled warmly in passing as Bakura followed the heavy-worlder out into the corridors.

Yami turned his head slightly, watching the Captain follow him some way down the twisting corridors. He paused part way down from a motion by the Captain and Bakura joined him, leaning upon the wall with folded arms.

"So you're saying that thing is from your time?" Bakura glanced at the box.

Holding it up Yami gave a nod. "Yes…in its true form it's supposed to be a pyramid…but you had to put it together to prove your worth."

"And you old man owned it."

"I suppose he did. It's supposed to be a sign of your connection to your liquid-vessel; my father and the _King Solomon_ where the longest running Captain and Ship in the Commonwealth. Yugi and I wanted to challenge them for the Item after the War ended, to see if we could win it in a battle…" Yami's enhanced eyes shifted slightly, "I wonder if my father perished along with the _King Solomon_."

Bakura wrinkled his nose, "Alright, if you put it together you can keep it."

Yami raised an eyebrow, "What's the catch?"

"Ain't no catch." Bakura grasped hold of an overhanging bar, "I figure fate brought you here, fate brought that here, I am not auguring with the Lady Fate."

"You're very odd." The young heavy-worlder mused, his lips pursing tight. Bakura ruffled the ex-captains hair, giving a laugh.

"So they say. Hey, do me a favour, can you get Yugi to run a scan on the big box the rich-guy stowed in the cargo-bay."

"Sure," Yami frowned slightly at the instruction, "Is there a problem?"

Bakura touched his stomach for a moment, "Just a gut-feeling. Well, get some rest…" He swaggered down the corridor, "We won't be making port for a few days…" He spun on his heels, throwing his arms open, "And we're stuck here with three strangers, anything could happen…anything!" His voice echoed down the corridor as he vanished into the dimness of the gloomy lights. Yami rolled his eyes, tucking the gold box into the bags around his hips. He reached out, giving the wall a gentle pat of reassurance.

"Well, you heard the man Yugi… scan the cargo for any abnormalities and report back to the Captain."

_As you wish._

The reply softly whispered and Yami smiled, touching his ear for a moment before he continued down the corridor towards the sleeping courters of the crew; the lights dimming as he left.

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His courters were the same as what they had been in his original ship, down to the finest scratch upon the surface of the wall. It just had less stuff in it. Bakura sighed, lifting his hat and throwing it onto a latch upon the wall. He did miss his stuff, the gatherings from over years of travel, but his life and the life of his crew was worth more than objects and trinkets.

Opening a small door of a cabinet Bakura pulled out a bottle, gazing at the sloshing liquid. He smiled, popping off the top and giving a long drink. With a deep groan he rested upon the wall and slid down it to sit upon the floor, giving his bottle another gulp. Maybe he could get himself drunk enough that the nightmares wouldn't intrude upon his sleep.

The hissing of the airlock opening made him roll his eyes.

There would be no luck of such a thing tonight, he mused, as he watched Tea step carefully into his courters and move towards him gracefully. Without a word she hooked up her dress around her hips and sat beside him, pressing her head to his shoulder

His large hand folded over hers, giving it a warm squeeze.

"Did you get treated well? I do worry about you when you go out on your own…" Bakura sniffed, wrinkling his nose, staring ahead at the small pot-hole in the side of the vessel, out into the deep black of space.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Tea whispered. "I'm glad to be home though."

"Sure you are luv." Bakura lifted his bottle to his lips; Tea stole it from him, setting it beside her.

"Bakura, you need to sleep."

"You ordering me around again?" Watching as the woman stood to her feet Bakura slid his knees to his chest, "You're a witch."

Tea bent, grabbing his arms and giving him a strong pull, wearily he obeyed. "Fine, fine…"

"Honestly, Bakura…go to bed."

"Would you mind seeing to Ryou for me?" Heading for the bunk engraved into the wall Bakura flopped onto the covers with a grunt. "Just, see if he's alright."

"I will." Moving to the doorway Tea grabbed the rum-bottle from the floor, turning slightly to watch the man curl up tightly. She shook her head in mirth, giving the heavy iron door a firm shove and exiting into the corridor beyond. Her long dress dribbled around her ankles as she wandered through the tight hallways, bare feet plush upon the iron meshing. The gentle, smooth hum of the engine-room drew to forward to the warmth of the blue glow vibrating out from the hatch into the centre of their beautiful ship.

"Ryou? Sweetie? It's me, Tea."

The door eased open and she glanced into the pure white interior of the engine-room, filled with the shifting and moving forms of blue-liquid vibrating between spinning turbines that hummed a majestic song. Sitting perched upon one of the turbines Yugi's avatar raised a hand and touched a finger to its lips. Tea blinked in confusion before the avatar slowly pointed to the side of the engine-room where a hammock had been strung between glistening pipes of liquid. Curled up tightly Ryou was slumbering peacefully.

Tea smiled, giving the android a nod of thanks.

"Goodnight, Yugi."

"Goodnight." The android smiled.

"Good luck tomorrow." Tea paused from closing the door, "I am sure Yami will be very surprised."

"Thank you…"

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Through his deep groggy slumber Bakura swatted at his ear, wrinkling his nose in irritation.

"Captain…please wake up…"

Groaning Bakura turned in his bed. "Go away Ryou."

"Captain…it's important, please…" the voice intruded again.

Bakura gave a long groan, rolling around.

"What is it Ryou?"

"I'm not Ryou, sir, it's Yugi…the ship."

Glancing around his dim courters Bakura wrinkled his nose, not seeing any sign of a hologram. He frowned, glancing at the ceiling of his bunk. The voice he was hearing was whispering through the intercom system, an altogether eerie sensation in the dead of sleep period.

"What is it, ship?" The Captain wiped sleep from his eyes, giving a long yawn.

"Someone tried to send a message, I managed to scramble most of it, but I have no idea how much information got through before I noticed the signal."

"What!?" Bakura leapt up.

"Sorry sir. Would you like me to repeat myself?"

"No!" Dashing for the door Bakura shoved it open, clambering through. "Damit! Damit! Ship, get your human-toy up…tell him to meet me in the cargo bay."

He made his way swiftly through the ships interior, keeping to the sides of the wire-floor meshing, making sure his steps were quiet and soft as he entered the cargo bay. The lights were dim, barely enough to make out the lines of the cargo lined up along the walls. Thinning his eyes Bakura watched a figure dart across the large hold, coming to the whirling giant box, and begin to flick through a holographic display that lit up the features of the young Doctor travelling with them.

Like a wraith Bakura descended.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The Captain snagged the man ruthlessly by the shirt, slamming him into the crates lining the cargo wall. "Snooping around here!"

The lights of the hold burst on, brightening the world and Bakura mentally thanked his stars for the living-ship.

Looking confused at being manhandled the doctor gave a splutter, "I…some of my cargo…needs…"

"You shut the hell up! What did you tell them, what did you send! You jizza…what did you send!"

"What do you mean?" Seto struggled against the grip pinning him, "I didn't send anything!"

"Yes you did, a message! An encrypted message was sent…what did you send and who did you send it too!?"

Bakura frowned as the doctor's eyes glanced over his shoulder, attention focused on something standing behind him. The Captain wearily bowed his head as the Wayist Monk wandered out a doorway and gave a motion to whatever Seto was staring blankly at.

"I believe…you have the wrong man, Captain." The monk gave a motion and Bakura turned slightly, giving along groan at the barrel of a gun facing him. The merchant man welding it was trembling ever so slightly, looking nervous and pale-faced but ready to fire if given the need.

"Put the gun down." The man waved his weapon and Bakura lowered his gun, placing it on the floor and kicking it away, lifting his hands.

"I'm guessing you're not a Merchant." He grumbled darkly.

"No, I am not Captain Bakura, I am a law-man of the Alliance and Doctor Seto Kaiba you are under arrest."

Bakura did a small double-take, lowering his raised hands. "What...him…you want _him_?" He pointed at the tall young man.

"Yes, he is a wanted fugitive and I am here to apprehend him."

"Ohhh…" Bakura puffed out his cheeks, "I see…ah…hey, is there a reward?" He bent for his weapon.

"Don't you pick that up, Captain Bakura."

Bakura stalled. He glanced slightly upward, noticing in the dim light of the upper-cargo bay Yami had entered silently through the upper levels entry, followed closely by Tristan and Joey. Behind Malik Tea and Mai where lingering, watching the scene with careful eyes.

"Okay, whoa…listen," Bakura held up his hands, "you keep waving that thing at me and we're gonna have a problem, but if you just want the doctor fella, then that's fine with me, just let me get my gun-."

"Don't claim innocence, Captain! I know who you are, and your crew…you are a bunch of thieves! The Alliance will be happy to have you out of their territory when this is over."

"Are you daring to threaten my crew!?" Bakura snarled.

The law-man's weapon trembled in his hand as he held it sharply at Bakura, though his eyes searched the upper-layer of the cargo-hold, spotting Tristan and Joey with guns at the ready.

"If anyone moves," he spluttered, "I will shot your captain!"

Yami carefully walked towards Bakura, causing the law-man to flinch, his gun instantly moving to the heavy-worlder.

"You! Stop moving."

"Listen, law-man…that gun won't work against me," Yami spoke softly. "I am a heavy-worlder, I can move to quickly for a projectile weapon to touch me."

The small alliance man gave a barking laugh, "Heavy-worlder! They are the stuff of fairy-tales for children."

"Fire that gun, and I will prove to you I am no fairy-tale but if you do fire that gun, I will move so fast you won't see the blade in your throat! It would appear we're at a stand-off…lower your weapon and the Captain will have our crew lower theirs."

"Can we just all talk this through?" Malik shifted, his robe rustling over the metal floor. The law-man's gun moved to the priest.

Bakura stepped forward, "Don't you dare hold a weapon at a bloody holy Preacher!"

"I'm the one with the gun!" The law-man screeched, "I will do what I want! Next person who moves get's shot! Including you, heavy-worlder!" His weapon shifted again, causing everyone in the cargo to stop their movements as it did a sweep. The Captain frowned in confusion as he noted across the bay, Tea's horrified expression. He wanted to turn around to see what it was she was suddenly so frightened of, but the voice that rung out happily was all he needed to realise there was someone missing from his crew.

"Captain…what's going on? It's like, way past black-out! Why is everyone-."

The shot that fired came with a loud crack. Yami moved, and true to his word, his speed was almost impossible to see. His blade whipped up, slicing through the fingers of the law-man holding the weapon. His elbow collected the man's chin, knocking him flat.

"Ryou! No, Ryou!" Tea screamed, running past the stunned Bakura. Slowly the Captain turned, staring blankly at the mechanic standing in the open doorway. Ryou glanced down at the thick blood leaking from this stomach.

"I…I…got shot."

Tea caught him as he crumbled.

"Ryou!" Mai dashed past, dropping beside the mechanic and pulling free her blouse, using it to stall the blood flow. "Bakura, we have to do something-."

"You," pointing at the stunned doctor Bakura motioned to Yami. The ex-captain grabbed the young man, dragging him forward with a simple tug. "You're a doctor, you save him."

"Where is your medical bay?" Seto choked on Yami's tight hold, struggling out of it to kneel beside Ryou, studying the wound.

Tristan crouched, carefully moving to lift Ryou. "Just down another level…"

"You have to promise me," Seto glanced to Bakura, "that you will not allow that alliance-man to harm me."

"I can make no promises!"

"I will let him die," Seto stood, his chin rising, "if you do not promise me this."

"You will do exactly what I say!" Bakura snarled.

Ryou gave a cry, "Why…why is everyone yelling?" The mechanic blinked in confusion, a tear rolling down his cheek, "Tea…why can't…I…"

"Bakura." Tea glanced up at Bakura. "Please!"

"Don't you fraking tell me what to do, woman."

"Stop yelling." Ryou whimpered.

Seto lifted his brow, "You have seen stomach wounds before, and you know how critical the next few minutes are…so…you promise me that you will not hand me over to that Lawman or I won't save his life."

Bakura's lips curled into a snarl. "You little-."

"No," a new voice suddenly called out, "you will save his life, Seto Kaiba, or I will open this crate and if he dies then I will personally throw you out the nearest airlock!"

All attention shifted to the person standing beside the offending cargo, eyes glowing brightly in the dim light of the docking bay. Indeed, the eeriness of its shimmering, almost metal hued skin, and the shine of fluorescent hair it looked like an apparition of an old-earth angel.

"No, don't open it!" Seto moved, interpreted by Joey hauling him aside.

"Then you save his life!" The slender figure raised a foot, pressing it to the lid of the crate, "Or I'll open the crate!" The voice cracked through the intercom system, causing the crew to glance around in confusion.

The young doctor bowed his head, "Fine!"

Tristan scooped Ryou up, "This way."

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The crew vanished down the tight corridor, yet Yami stood vacantly staring at the figure across the meshed decking. It was the hologram, the same movements, the same flick of hair, the same smile of the doppelgänger that had followed him around or spoke to the crew as an image to reassure them of its AI existence. But this was something entirely different. This was an avatar. He had met only one avatar of a living ship, and that had been the _King Solomon_, but Yugi had never been considered old enough or trained enough to have its own android.

So how did it now stand before him?

"Yugi..." he choked on the name and the android slowly looked up. A flush of blue touched the soft cheeks as its mechanical liquid flickered brighter under the alien skin.

"Y...Yam...Yami...I...this...isn't how I...wanted to show you..." The voice came through his ear-piece and not the android in front of him, which seemed so oddly natural. This entire scenario seemed natural, the fact that he was looking into beautiful purple eyes not on a screen nor through pixels of a hologram seemed perfect and wonderful.

Suddenly he moved, grabbing the slim androids form and hoisting it into a crushing hug. He trembled, burrowing his head into the smooth shoulder, giving a low sounding sob that he could not hold back.

"How did you know..." Yami whispered, sensing the androids arms slowly curl up and hold him firmly, with just enough pressure to not crush him with its obvious strength in its extra-terrestrial, inhuman limbs of metal and liquid. "How did you know I...I needed you..."

Yugi closed its eyes, "You are my Captain, don't you think I would know everything about you...you're the air I breathe...this is the least I could do to keep you sane."

Yami pulled away slightly, staring at the delicate, youthful face of pure perfection gazing upon him. It was uncanny. The android held a realism ancient god's would have fought over. There was barely a flaw to its pale blue skin, and its eyes, large, bright and lavender grey had a distinct shine about them as though they were radiant from the inside.

This revealed its mechanical nature. Humans had flaws, freckles, bumps and scars. This beautiful masterpiece, this work of art, was a statue of marble carved one of the great masters of old.

Yugi tenderly touched his cheek. Its smile was slightly too forced and Yami felt a swell of adoration at the sight. It would take weeks; he was sure, before human body-language became a natural program within the android.

"Yami...I am a highly intelligent artificial intelligence...give me some credit. I observed, over time, that you...as a human...have a love language, like all humans, and without someone to fill your emotional tank you shut down."

Yami compressed his brow. "What?"

The android stepped away and touched a wall beside it, mimicking the same movement he always displayed when moving down the corridors. "Touch, Yami...touch is your language. You touch my walls, even when you don't mean to, your hand is always running along my walls. Haven't you ever noticed?"

"No..." He held up his hand, studying it in a new light.

"Every vibration I would feel, like a message. You conveyed something to me over time...being within me wasn't enough, you had to touch me too. You had to know that I was there." The android shook its head. "Maybe it has something to do with you losing your eye sight for a while or maybe you were simply born with it, I don't know and I am an AI, I can never claim to understand the complexities of humans..." It lowered its hand, looking back up at him, "So...here I am." It spread its arms wide. "I made this android for you, because you saved me and sacrificed everything you loved for me. I had to do something for you in return. You needed someone, so here I am."

He was awed. Nothing came from his lips, no amount of trying could make him respond to the thrill, the happiness, and the sheer gratefulness he suddenly had for his beloved ship. Yami was sure his legs would have given out under him had Yugi's large round eyes, piecing as diamonds, not turned from him in that moment to the groaning Alliance man lying flat on the floor.

The android slammed its foot down upon the law-man and knelt, grabbing the human by his hair and yanking his head upward. "You'd better hope, you disgusting flea, that my mechanic doesn't die, because I assure you, I know how to inflict pain."

Yami stirred out of his trance, holding out a hand, "Yugi! Careful-."

"I am taking this scum to a holding cell." The android grabbed an arm of the law-man, "I will meet you at the sick-bay. Make sure the Captain doesn't kill anyone will you…"

As though the human weighed nothing to its slender, tiny frame, the AI hoisted the limp body up and stomped away, leaving him bamboozled for a moment.

"That…just happened." Yami touched his cheeks, feeling damp tears. "Ryou!" A jolt spun him around automatically and he ran past the pool of blood upon the floor, ducking and weaving through the doorways and interchanging air-locks. Leaping down a flight of rickety stairs Yami darted up to the sick bay doors.

Tea was sobbing, being held tightly by Mai, upon a couch within the small common room just outside the sterilised environment. Pushing past Tristan at the door, Yami ducked into the white room, the only section of the _Millennium Yugi_ that had remained unchanged when it had transformed into a _Firefly_. Bakura was gripping Ryou's hand tightly, gently stroking the mechanic's sweaty forehead.

"Why…is…everything…so white?" Deliriously Ryou murmured.

"Shhh, kitten…shh…" Bakura cooed softly.

Yami slid against the wall, sharing a glance with Joey and Tristan. They could only hope this doctor knew his arts well.

Tea stood as Yugi rattled down the stairs. Yami watched their interaction as Yugi sided up to her, making a motion with its head. She sat down, looking dejected. Yugi trotted toward him and Yami made the connection, the little android was wearing the Companions clothing. She had known about it. He breathed out. Just how long had Yugi been in this form? He shook his head, it did not matter now.

"Any change?" it warbled uneasily.

"We're just waiting." Yami shook his head.

Yugi peered into the medical bay and snapped back around. "I see."

"Wouldn't you already know that?"

"It's more interesting to see things with these eyes, limited vision, very fascinating." Yugi flicked a glance around the room. "I'm on autopilot at the moment. Functions are at night-capacity still."

"Oi, ship-thing," Tristan called out, "did you deal with the law-man?"

"The trash was refusing to fit into its can." Yugi held out its hand and Yami stared at the smeared blood. His chest contorted. Dear sweet space. He had never thought of Yugi in the capacity of being violent but the ship was a—it was a—it was a war-ship—it was built for one purpose, to be violent. A shiver ran down his spine.

Yugi wiped the blood onto Yami's shirt.

"Why are you wiping it on my clothes?" Yami flinched.

"Yours are already dirty," the AI chirped. "Why get mine dirty!"

"I hope you beat him up good." Tristan narrowed his eyes.

"I did not beat him up," Yugi's features looked as though it was trying to frown. "I am a civilized artificial intelligence. The floor hit him, and maybe the wall as well, possibly a chair. I had nothing to do with it."

Mai gave a dark laugh, "If the floor and the wall hit him, android, then you did."

Yugi's glowing eyes glanced in her direction, "Do remember that the next time you have sex with Joey on a dash-panel. I feel and see everything."

The android peered into the medical bay again. "Everything," it whispered.

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Everyone shuffled to attention the moment he stepped out. Bakura peered around the crew. Their expressions were harrowed. Even the preacher looked deathly concerned. He should, this was a very bad situation. Without a word he eased himself down on the nearest couch and turned to stare darkly at the doorway into the medical bay. There was nothing he could do but wait. He had seen his fair share of bullet wounds, the war itself had taught him that there was a thin line between life and death. This was not supposed to happen on his ship, and never to Ryou.

His eyes trailed without warning to the slender shape of the android. Ryou had been fiddling again. His little mutant mechanic had obviously not been able to help himself. He fought back the choking in his throat; if Ryou died…that would have been his last legacy, the most magnificent achievement for centuries, an old-Earth android—something the Alliance would have killed for, technology so pure and ancient that it would change the course of history.

His attention snapped back to the medical bay door as the doctor eased out. His rage returned at the sight of the tall man.

"I have done what I can. If he pulls through…it's up to him." Seto wiped his hands on a rag.

Bakura slowly stood. He wandered to the door, peering into the medical bay. Ryou lay quietly upon the bed. He sensed Yami beside him and glanced down at the heavey-worlder.

"Something is the crate right?"

"Apparently, Yugi seems to think so."

"Good." Bakura swung around. He pointed to the doctor, "Grab him! We're finding out what the hell he brought into this family that is so damn important the Alliance would send a hunt after him."

"You promised you wouldn't!"

"I lied." Bakura shouted as he darted up the stairs, heading back to the cargo bay. "Get used to it!"

"No, please! Wait!" Seto called, gasping as he was grabbed roughly by Tristan and dragged like a sack after the Captain. The crew piled through the tight corridors, back into the cargo bay. Yami headed over to Bakura, watching as the Captain slammed a foot upon the strange box.

"Captain…you should re-consider-."

"Eat my arse, time-traveller. Back off or I will shoot you."

_Are you daring to threaten my caretaker? _There was a soft click of a weapon being withdrawn from a hoister and Bakura blinked at the soft voice tickling his ear. Damn, it was the bloody-ship android. He was going to have to really watch himself around the ex-Captain now.

The barrel of a gun was pressed to his temple.

"Touch _my_ human and I will shoot you…"

"Yugi." Yami grabbed the android quickly, yanking it aside. "Go stand with the Preacher."

The body moved with Yami's pull, like a placid rag-doll. Bakura watched in bottled raged as Yami set the doll beside the monk, but the cold, calculating eyes were firmly upon him, judging him. Damn Ryou, that pretty little mutant had gone and made the ship a body, why, like they all needed something else to entertain their time with now!

"Ryou." His hands fisted. His little Ryou, his promise to protect him had failed. His face contorted in fury and he slammed back the lid of the box.

"Please!" Seto screeched, struggling against Tristan. "Please don't!?"

"You took this trouble onto my ship, you're lucky you're not dead yet, Doctor!" Bakura snapped, stopping only as something burst out of the box.

The shock of the sight sent a ripple through the crew. It was a boy, naked, cold and wet from cryogenic status.

Bakura leapt back as the boy gave a horrendous cry, stumbling out of the box and onto the iron meshing of the cargo bay floor. His bare body was covered in a film of ice, long raven hair moist and sticking to pale, bruised skin.

Seto tore free from Tristan in the mercenary's stunned state and ran for the boy, taking off his coat and covering the quivering child quickly.

Bakura's hands fisted.

"You were smuggling a child! Is he your toy-boy!?" The Captain snarled, "Or where you going to sell him to the highest bidder and he'd wake up in chains as a whore? How filthy and revolting must you royal, rich aristocrats be!"

"Bakura…" Tea stepped forward, hand touching his shoulder to give it a tight squeeze. He turned, noticing the Companion's tears, quickly he stepped back, catching her hand and holding her to his chest.

Seto looked to them, blue eyes showing seeded sorrow.

"He…he…" The Doctor held the shivering naked body tightly, enclosing the child in a protective embrace as the boy sobbed into his shoulder. "He is my brother…"


End file.
